The Soft Moon @ The Ruby Lounge November 26, 2012

Luis Vasquez began the project in order to better know his own self. Holed up in his apartment he let the tape roll, allowing gut & memory guide him. Those twin sherpas, however, led him to a place of darkness, claustrophobia & dread: a musical wasteland moving to a Motorik tic, it's edges made jagged in the image of early post-punk, swathed in the moody atmosphere of vintage darkwave. Now because the word has spread, the Soft Moon waxes again, returning with a most vicious, seething & focused 2nd LP: Zeros.

The sound has expanded into a full-band attack accompanied by immersive visuals - the result is complete immersion. Zeros opens with "It Ends," a rumbling eerie epic that explodes & then fades. The slowing breath & pulse at the finish signify our break with reality as consciousness drifts deeper into Vasquez’ world. On "Machines", a demon utters unclear incantations over snapping drums & flange-warped tones. Songs like "Insides" & "Crush" feel utterly inward-looking—a loner’s cry buried in soil and metal shavings—but "Remember the Future" bounces like a twisted John Carpenter score & "Die Life" lashes out at everything within reach. Listen closely & you’ll hear the sounds of the creatures & people that survived whatever catastrophe created this space: chirping insects, bawling whales, strained howls, jungle percussion, tribal chanting. The aggressively hypnotic build eventually runs smack into the wall of "ƨbnƎ ƚI," a reversal of the opener that slowly, surely delivers us back to the waking world—untouched, yes, but not unchanged.

+ DRACULA LEWIS + THE NARROWS

TICKETLINE: 0161 832 1111  /  www.ticketline.co.uk
SEE TICKETS: 0870 264 3333  /  www.seetickets.com

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Official Website: http://crd.fm/1VQ