To: Adam
Love: Dave
Date Sent: 4/11/2018
Lo Moon – Lo Moon (Self-titled)
Release Date: February 23rd, 2018
Life-changing bands don’t usually come around too often. That is probably best, as the designation of “life-changing” cannot be assigned to just every band or artist that you listen to. If the majority of bands that we find, or even a decent minority, had such an impact, we would eventually be desensitized to incredible music. Some first listens trigger that hope that this is the next band that I will be listening to non-stop for the upcoming decade, but then upon further plays, that feeling begins to subside. Lo Moon is that band.
However, that shouldn’t be perceived as a negative. A band can still be amazing, yet not quite garner the label of life-changing. There is a helpful analogy with being a sports fan. If your favorite team does not win the championship one year, is that year a failure? If that team made the playoffs or still had a successful year statistically and you had fun watching them, shouldn’t that count as a positive? Lo Moon’s self-titled album is a team that lost in the first round of the playoffs and I am proud of them.
This is a tremendous album and I am eager to hear your opinion. When I was first listening to this album, I was thinking, “I know this song…” and that song is Loveless. I had it on a playlist and thought back to when I had first heard that song. I remember getting pissed that there was no album released, just singles. But lo (Moon!) and behold, this album arrives and delivers. Their sound is similar to that of The War on Drugs, though not quite as distant or well thought out. I believe the band works hard on their sound and the mood they create is a conscious decision made by the band members. Towards the middle of the album, it drags a bit, but overall there are some beautiful songs littered throughout. This Is It, Loveless, The Right Thing, Real Love, Wonderful Life, and All In stand out and are my favorites. For an hour, you can immerse yourself in this sound and leave feeling better about your day, as Lo Moon has provided listeners a true gift with this release.
Adam’s Reaction:
I remember when you first sent that Loveless song a couple of years ago and we were both so obsessed. I really enjoyed the album on my ride home from the Durham Bulls game. I didn’t love This Is It at the start, but it is growing on me since I agree with you that they are honed in on their sound. I like all of the songs that you had listed, but 2 sneaky songs include My Money & Camouflage (a little too repetitive). I enjoyed it all the way through and can see a fire or some board games in the future with this album playing in the background. I had actually listened to A Deeper Understanding last night and I can hear the similarities between the 2 bands, but The War on Drugs is definitely better!
The Favorites:
Adam:
Dave: All In