Albums
Moon Money Moon - EP
2001
Genre: Rock
Release Date: 2001
By Jason Nickey
Reviewed May 19, 2002
Have the Indigo Girls broken up yet? I have a feeling they have, but I have to admit I haven't been following the trials and tribulations of Decatur, Georgia's finest girly-folk duo too closely. Either way, Tara Jane O'Neil and Cynthia Nelson-- better known as Retsin-- seem intent on taking over where Swamp Ophelia left off.
With this five-song EP, the duo smooth out the experimental eccentricities that characterized their privious work, and offer up a surprisingly bland dose of Lilith fare. The sonic depth of O'Neil's work with Rodan and the Sonora Pine-- which always seemed to spice up Retsin's lo-fi confessional singer-songwriter style-- is likewise nowhere to be found here. Even the lyrical conundrums, which at the very least kept things somewhat interesting, are traded for forgettable faux-witticisms delivered in a smarmy, sing-songy manner that would befit a Lisa Loeb album.
"Pauline and Susie" is the clear standout on this modest little collection. Presumably a tale of escaping to some relative's house during a breakdown, the song's repetitive riff comes off a little too cutesy, especially accompanying lines like, "This time I said yes to sedation, oh yes," but at least it's memorable. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for the rest of the songs here. They seem feeble, meandering, and unfocused by comparison.