Review Summary: A cosmic journey you shouldn't miss.
Hot on the heels of mind expanding debut
Ruins,
Moons is another cerebral journey into the musical cosmos that solidifies this "acid improg" trio as one of the most talented bands to chart experimental space.
While
Ruins displayed a versatile array of tracks that seamlessly fused together post-rock, electronic, progressive, and ambient space jams into one off the wall and around the bend package that surprised and astounded on every track,
Moons is a tighter, more directed release with the same charms. Focusing more on the darker and more vast elements of their sound,
Moons personifies the depths of space and does it well.
From the opening void of "Hyperion" to the exiting chimes of "Luna,"
Moons relies on a slow and steady pace based around groovy and dark bass and enticing phaser-esque keyboards set to stun, all led by driving drum beats and swirled around with a good peppering of bells (literally) and whistles that carry a certain trademark Sufjan Stevens playfulness at many times (especially on "Luna").
Breaths of melody from guitars and woodwinds on tracks like "Dino Wipeout" and "Titan" are light and refreshing - just expansive enough to shift the tone of the album and keep you captivated as Lazer Kitty continue to employ and improve their masterful use of crescendo and decrescendo to add power or restrained wistfulness to their tunes. And make note, this isn't a come and go trait.
Moons is a full collection of songs that seem to encapsulate purposefulness perfectly.
While
Ruins darted and dodged around the band's experimental arena of sounds in a way akin to their namesake,
Moons is a more pointed album with a clear mission, using every track to build from a feeling of mixed dread and wonder to the final absolute realization of cosmic joy and enlightenment that "Luna" represents. In a way, the entire album is like one long and more fully-realized representation of the same experience
Ruins' "Revolutions Per Minute" gave us - the full cosmic journey from launch to landing and beyond. And it's a journey you really shouldn't miss.
