News / / 20.11.12

MOON DUO

The Croft, Bristol | November 11th

It wouldn’t be a massive overstatement to claim that Ripley Johnson is a pivotal figures in 21st century psych rock. For avid fans of his main musical vehicle Wooden Shjips, the opportunity to witness him in another of his many guises was eagerly snatched up. 

Joined by Sanae Yamada, Moon Duo deploy the same extended stoner rock jams that Johnson’s main project utilize, but expand this sound by incorporating more textured, experimental instrumentation and driving Krautrock soundscapes. In a live setting, the result was mesmerising. Drawing mainly from latest album Circles, songs like Sleepwalker and Sparks seemed more urgent and purposeful than on record, propelling forward at breakneck speeds. Deeper cuts from the duo’s more obscure releases were also given an airing, one of which – Motorcycle, I Love You from 2010 EP Escape – proved to be the highlight of evening. Dark, sprawling and all-encompassing, it is truly a behemoth of a track.

What proved perhaps most impressive about the Moon Duo live experience was the sheer volume that the pair summoned. With Johnson handling guitar duties throughout, it was left to Yamada to conjure everything else, something she did with aplomb, building layer upon layer of swirling chaotic synths and droning basslines. There is an undeniably sultry air wafting around Yamada: hypnotising in her movements, precise in execution of her instrument, we almost certainly have the latest femme fatale of psych on our hands.

The only criticism comes as a result of the lack of acoustic percussion. The drum machines used lacked the energy and impact that a live drummer could have injected and, at around the halfway point of the set, began to be become tiresome and repetitive. This is not to the detriment of the performers however; it is their choice to remain true to their recorded output. And though these robotic rhythms help to contribute those mechanical, Krautrock-leaning qualities, the songs’ looser, more expansive tendencies would surely have benefitted from the use of a live drummer.

These minor qualms aside, this was a triumphant set, showcasing a grasp of Krautrock and psychedelia in its purest form. With shows like this, Johnson and co. continue to prove that there’s life in the genre yet.

 

 

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Words: Benjamin Salt

moonduo.org

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