Moon Duo - Shadow of the Sun

Moon Duo’s latest electro-psych venture is interesting in its eclecticism – but the end result is a bit of a mixed bag.
‘Slow Down Low’ features a crunchy, propulsive rhythm and some adventurous soloing from singer-guitarist Ripley Johnson and singer-keyboardist Sanae Yamada. Likewise, the anxious ‘In A Cloud’ reconciles the cyclical, dreamlike mood of most of the album with more interesting dynamics; and the nicely terse ‘Animal’ sounds like a tense, rocked-out horror soundtrack.
Technically they are strong: the instrumental work is impeccable throughout. The coda to ‘Night Beat’ is an especially enthralling musical dialogue and there are numerous moments like it on the album. But while these are impressive, there is a curious lack of rigour elsewhere.
At times, the music is repetitive to a fault: these droning, riff-heavy tracks may be an art in themselves, catering to a particular taste, but too often – notably on opener ‘Wilder’ and ‘Ice’ – they lack the vitality that would make them truly memorable. Shadow Of The Sun is an interesting case of what might have been...

Key Track - 'Slow Down Low'