Occult Architecture, Vol. 1

by Moon Duo

Overview

Moon Duo have one trick that they've been doing since their first record came out in 2009. Guitarist/vocalist Ripley Johnson and keyboardist/vocalist Sanae Yamada make droning, motorik psychedelic jams that sound like the soundtrack for a road trip to inner space. Some of their albums have harnessed this trick into something magical and unique (Mazes, Shadow of the Sun); some have coasted on their trademarked sound without breaking a sweat (Circles). Arriving in 2017, Occult Architecture, Vol. 1 is somewhere in the middle. The guitars sound suitably blown-out and fuzzy, the keyboards provide drones and the occasional blip of melody, and drummer John Jeffrey is strong on the tracks he plays on, but quite often the songs just seem to lay back and hang out contentedly instead of making a splash. There are some clear standouts, like the opening "The Death Set," which has swooning chord changes and some surprising new wave synth sounds. Or the frantically pulsing "Cross-Town Fade," where Johnson's guitars sound raw and nervy and the energy levels are pumped up close to ten. "Will of the Devil" is maybe the most interesting song of the bunch, as it goes beyond their usual two-chord approach to add a couple extra, as well as some spooky new wave keys. Mostly though, the record mines their trademarked psych-noise sound and comes up with something very familiar and oddly soothing. It's not a step forward or back; instead, Occult Architecture, Vol. 1 feels mostly like a pleasantly trippy holding pattern. ~ Tim Sendra

Product Details

Release Date:	05/06/2022
Label:	Sacred Bones
UPC:	0843563143315
Rank:	70606

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Moon Duo   Primary Artist
Ripley Johnson   Guitar
Sanae Yamada   Keyboards
John Jeffrey   Drums

Technical Credits

Jason Powers   Engineer
Ripley Johnson   Group Member
Jay Shaw   Artwork,Cover Art
Heba Kadry   Mastering
Jonas Verwijnen   Mixing
Moon Duo   Composer
Sanae Yamada   Group Member
John Jeffrey   Group Member