Hudson Bell is a singer/songwriter originally from Louisiana who now resides in San Francisco. Hudson Bell also happens to be the name of the three-piece band that he fronts. When the Sun Is the Moon, the band's third album, is a nostalgic blend of acoustic balladry and fuzzed-out guitars. It's a somewhat unexpected combination, but one that here is full of warmth and emotion as Bell's dry vocals and charming melodies weave throughout each song, blending indie pop with psychedelia in a way that sounds at once fresh and familiar.
Opener "Slow Burn" spends almost two-and-a-half of its eight minutes bellowing distorted guitar. Instead of heavy power chords, it's more of a drifting fuzz, a quality that colors much of the album's lead guitar work. Throughout the record, the tempo and tones hardly waver, creating a consistent mood throughout. The band mixes dusty southern-style rock with breezy pop on "The Falls", and "Seven Cities" shuffles along with layered vocals and drunken, ethereal guitar leads. Another highlight is "The Midnight Year", which begins as upbeat and bright before it's sounds give way to church bells and droning guitar fuzz. Soon everything fades, and lapping ocean waves and chirping birds introduce the song's second movement, a contemplative, slow-picked instrumental, complete with lonesome harmonica wails.
At seven songs in under 40 minutes, When the Sun Is the Moon at first appears a bit slight. But three of the tracks clock in at well over seven minutes, and the nostalgic, sentimental feel to the music seems to stretch it somehow, making the album feel longer than it is. Closer "Sea Horse" utilizes quiet organ drones, lush guitar strumming, and soaring vocal harmonies to bring everything together, and, along with "Slow Burn", bookends a rich, delicate album.
