Reaching Moon - Creature Songs
(2013 Jane Tapes)
"Twinkly guitar tones...upbeat enthusiasm."
Packing a wide arsenal of twinkly guitar tones plenty of upbeat enthusiasm, Connecticut's Reaching Moon gets brand new label Jane Tapes off to a stellar start. Creature Songs is the quartet's debut EP, yet their music already displays an impressive sense of maturity, balancing memorable, crisp hooks with moments of subdued yet intricate guitaristry. In addition to this multidimensional songcraft, Taylor Hayden and Steve Ibanez provide a unique dual vocal assault. Ibanez's is as poppy and instantly likable as the guitars it accompanies, while Hayden's growly and intense delivery enters the picture as the music swells to sparkling crescendos. Though Creature Songs is mainly composed of familiar aspects of Bandcamp-era emo, Reaching Moon employs these elements in unforgettable fashion.
"Space Station Vacation" is the most subtle and straightforward cut off the EP, yet its distant sounding six-strings and clattering percussion alleviate the song of enough emotional weight to send its indelible chorus flying sky-high, carried by a glassy guitar solo. "Aliens Come in the End" will invite much deserved intrigue given its inventive song title and relatively lengthy time span. It's a twangy, post-rock influenced instrumental divided into two movements: the first of which is whimsical and breezy, dramatically leading into a high charged, jangly outro. For fans of Explosions In the Sky and Dads.
