Mooncreatures EP - Mooncreatures
(Italian Beach Babe 2012)
(8.5)
In a world where every human being owns GarageBand, a guitar, and the ability to play at least 3 chords, it seems like everyone is in a shoegaze band. Even so, United Kingdom based dream pop act Mooncreatures stands out. As can be deduced from a look at the cover, Mooncreatures produces a desolate but soothing sound that's both indescribable and uncategorizable.
It's always a good move to put your best foot forward and kick off the album with your best track, and Mooncreatures does just that. "Lakedrainers" is an airy sound collage of swirling sound, feedback, and barely audible lyrics. If this sounds like the perfect recipe for shoegaze, you're right. It's followed up by the surprisingly fast paced and mildly cheery "Balloon Festival," which blends creepy bass with a bouncy guitar line. Tracks like "(Coast Road)" and "Meet the Ocean" are marvelous ambient masterpieces along the lines of Sigur Ros or Slowdive's weirder moments. "Coasting" is sort of like a psychedelic Seapony song run through distortion pedal with an elevator music background. "Cattle Camp" is the only song I'm not a huge fan of, with a hard rock-y riff.
If you're into The Soft Moon or Wild Nothing, Mooncreatures would be a great fit for you. You can buy the cassette from Italian Beach Babes and give it a listen below. Also below is their cover of "The Dreaming Moon" by Magnetic Fields.
