Moon Duo - Occult Architecture

Moon Duo for the last few years, since being signed to the absolutely brilliant record label Sacred Bones, has released very cosmic sounding Psych Rock.  They had a few EP's that slipped by me, but the first time I heard a full length project I heard from them was their 2011 album "Mazes".  This wasn't a perfect Psych Rock record, but tracks like "Seer" and "Fallout" were just so colorful and strangely cleanly produced.  Their next album though, 2012's "Circles" really hooked me a whole lot more.  The tracks here were much more hypnotic and driving, and they continued to be so bright and colorful.  However the tracks on here to me justified their length much more and overall made for a much more interesting album.  Sadly though, Moon Duo took a serious nose dive with their next album. I continued to really love the free spirit and the atmosphere here, but everything else about 2015's "Shadow of the Sun" was bland, bland and more bland.  I did see an improvement with 2016's "Occult Architecture Vol.1". at least a slight one.  This album was absolutely mind blowing, but I did like the heavier rhythms and the departure from their more spacey sound. So here Moon Duo are with their follow up, let's chat about it.

This album starts off with “New Dawn”.  This one takes some serious time getting going, Moon Duo have been a cosmic sort of band for years but this is some of the glitchiest and spacey stuff I’ve heard from them yet.  It really sounds smooth for them thouhg, and it continues to be more electronically tinged but it’s just as wide and glistening sounding.  Their sound over the years has become so huge.  A lot of fans are going to be upset with just how electronic this is, but personally I think it’s refreshing.  The vocals are just hypnotic as usual and as strangely soothing and repetitive.  I’ve looked at Moon Duo as a very cosmic act for years, and this just solidifies it more.  It’s not as patience testing, and it’s much more serene.  The guitars are very classy and the synths are impenetrable.  As an intro, for me this really works.  This album’s single, “Mirror’s Edge” is up next.   I love the very pulsating and slow intro.  Now, over the years Moon Duo slowly have tried out more and more electronic sounds to their music.  Sometimes it’s sort of failed but here it’s coming off really well and fresh sounding for the duo.  It’s obviously much cleaner sounding and a whole lot more safe.  But I enjoy the very polished sound here.  I love the very distant guitar licks and the way this track just comes off as a gigantic wall of electronic psychedelic.  It’s not as INTENSE though and rhythmic, which I know people are going to not be a fan of.  But I think for an experience, this is great.  Sure, It’s an instrumental, but I love the smokiness of this, not to mention it makes me feel like I’m in that scene in 2001 when the astronaut is soaring through that seriously colorful dimension.   Up next, “Sevens” is easily the most straightforward rocker here.  It’s still very spacey but that’s to be expected.  I like the jangly sort of bells in the back as well as the very intense drum breakdowns.  The vocals here are so mysterious, and just as eclectic as the bands hazy sound.  This certainly is going to resonate more with some of the older fans of Moon Duo with that very repetitive and very patience testing monolithic sound.   This is also strangely joyous at parts as well.  So far, I’ve really enjoyed this change of pace for these two.  I still think however that the very synth heavy sound is going to alienate many though.  

While up until now I’ve been pretty happy with the change of sound.  But the quality of this album is about to take a serious nose dive.  “Lost In Light” is the spaciest sound we’ve heard yet, and more importantly the lightest and most airy.  Right off the bat, this one is doing absolutely nothing for me.  When Moon Duo’s vocals pop in, they honestly make things even more fluffy.  I certainly get what they were going for, but this is much too bright for my liking.  I like the more Sci-Fi sound they were going for earlier, but right about now I’m dying to hear an edgy guitar or something with a little bite.  Moon Duo these days are certainly going for a more Jam oriented sound, and that’s totally fine, it SHOULD be that way.  But if they’re going to do that, their music needs to be sharper and incorporate more heavy instrumentals like they have in the past, because I’m struggling to stay awake.  Did I mention this track is 9 minutes?  Then we have the closing track here, “The Crystal World”.  Now this track isn’t terrible, I like the tribal drums and the woozy synths.  But rewind, let’s talk about this.  This really doesn’t sound like Moon Duo anymore at all.  There are some really great elements to this track, there really is.  But this whole “Occult Architecture” series feels so incomplete to me.  Honestly, I would have much rather Moon Duo put these two together and trimmed it all down.  

Rating: 7.0/10

Give A Listen To: "New Dawn". "Mirror's Edge", "Sevens"

Overall Thoughts:   I'm pretty sure this is Moon Duo's shortest album yet.  It's also their most incomplete feeling.  This mini album starts out really strong with some great, Spacey jams.  But really quickly this album ends and your left with just this feeling of there should have been a whole lot more here.  I'm not sure if this is supposed to be listened to with "Occult Architecture Vol. 1" for some epic experience, but if it is it's missed the boat on that concept.