A Blemish in the Great Light

by Half Moon Run

Overview

The Montreal group's third full-length effort, A Blemish in the Great Night sees Half Moon Run continuing to push their sound forward with a dynamic 13-track set of crafty indie pop confections that are both easy to digest and curiously barbed. Far removed from their indie folk origins, the band explored a more polished, studio-forward sound on 2015's excellent Sun Leads Me On, a predilection they take to with even more gusto this time around. There's a pronounced warmth behind the crisp and clean production, especially on early album gems "Flesh and Blood" and "Natural Disaster," both of which highlight the group's immaculate harmonies. Pairing Beatlesque melodicism, breezy West Coast Americana, and glossy '80s pop works wonders on the prog-tinged "Razorblade" and the elegiac U2-meets-"Chicago"-era Sufjan Stevens-inspired closer "New Truth"; if we're going to keep drawing comparisons, then the sultry and silly sex romp "Jello on My Mind" owes a tip of the hat to Cheap Trick's "Mandocello." Only the folksy "Yani's Song" harkens back to the group's more homespun genesis, but the likable A Blemish in the Great Night, despite housing some significant lyrical undercurrents of discord, retains enough residual heat to keep your feet warm, like a thin wool blanket designed for mild evenings. ~ James Christopher Monger

Product Details

Release Date:	11/08/2019
Label:	Imports
UPC:	0875918020620
Rank:	113176

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Half Moon Run   Primary Artist
Dylan Phillips   Primary Artist
Chris Seligman   French Horn
Colin Stetson   Sax (Bass)
Pietro Amato   French Horn
Katie Adam   Choir/Chorus
Jessica Looper   Choir/Chorus
Lea Moisan-Perrier   Soprano,Choir Director
Penny Benoit   Choir/Chorus
Rowan Grace Mizerski   Vocals
Roxanne Uwera Ntaganira   Choir/Chorus
Sofia Dufresne   Choir/Chorus
Zaira Castonguay   Choir/Chorus
Choeur des Enfants de Montreal   Choir/Chorus

Technical Credits

Joe Chiccarelli   Producer,Engineer
Emily Lazar   Mastering
Chris Shaw   Mixing
Nyles Spencer   Engineer
Half Moon Run   Composer,Producer
Conner Molander   Group Member
Devon Portielje   Group Member,Saxophone Arrangement
Dylan Phillips   Producer,Group Member,Choir Arrangement,Horn Arrangements,String Arrangements
Sam Woywitka   Assistant Engineer
Chris Allgood   Assistant
Yani Clarke   Photography
Jacob Lacroix-Cardinal   Assistant Engineer
Isaac Symonds   Group Member
Lars Fox   Digital Editing