Author: Half Moon Run

Format: CD

Release Date: 27-03-2012

Details: The well-informed will know that Half Moon Run’s debut album was released in Canada in 2012 and that the sublime “Full Circle” had already been circulating on the Internet for over a year. Others already had the opportunity to see them set their guitars ablaze at the Parisian Flèche d'Or opening for Willy Moon that year, or shortly after at the Divan du Monde. Even a year later, we delight in (re)discovering the Montreal-based trio’s *Dark Eyes*. Neither entirely folk nor entirely pop, but a bit of both, this first effort is of rare finesse. It avoids the gimmicks of both genres—the often pathetic orchestration of the former and the entertaining essence of the latter—to draw from unsuspected registers: psychedelia with the excellent “She Wants to Know,” the revisited soul of “Need It” with its layered strings and solemn choirs, and even electro-jazz in “21 Gun Salute.” These wide sonic splits, executed without the slightest disparity, are what make Half Moon Run so strong. The Canadians possess the science of sound and manage to establish their signature on their very first attempt with impeccable production and a sense of rhythm in both the phrasing of frontman Devon Portielje and his vocal support, and the martial drum beats of Dylan Phillips. Littered with skillful and graceful nuances, *Dark Eyes* is at once airy and shadowy (the rumbling pedal work), spirited and languorous (the lascivious bassline), frenetic and melancholic. It evokes at times the folk “and more” richness of Alt-J, at others the tortuous grandeur of Radiohead and its leader’s angelic quality. These features, and significant ones at that, are also, or perhaps especially, due to Portielje’s voice, which possesses disarming flexibility. A penetrating and stimulating album. Copyright 2013 Music Story

UPC: 623339312622

EAN: 0623339312622

Languages: English

Binding: Audio CD

Item Condition: New