Psychedelia has two speeds: Either it elevates you into an altered consciousness, or it lulls you to sleep like so much television static. With Shadow of the Sun, their third full-length effort, Moon Duo often approach the former state, and only occasionally slip into the latter. Singer-guitarist Ripley Johnson and singer-keyboardist Sanae Yamada are joined on record by drummer John Jeffrey, and the consistent use of live drums—Jeffrey was only added to the band’s full-time roster after their 2013 European Tour—does a lot to imbue the winding, floating sound with some physical power.
Although Shadow of the Su**n is rooted in psychedelia, there are elements of proto-punk all over it, darkening the songs and making them more human. "Wilding", the album's standout opening track, resembles one of Jonathan Richman’s more uptempo songs, tinged with a tinny Haight-Ashbury tambourine and some wigged-out synths. Johnson’s solos, which can occasionally wander, are concise and focused here, setting an energetic stage for what’s to come.
Shadow of the Sun is psych for the city, and even in its more ascendant moments, a thin veil of industrial grit, leaning towards krautrock, keeps the record from ever really floating skyward. Their last LP, 2012’s Ralph Waldo Emerson-inspired Circles, hinted at a relationship to nature. But unlike fellow drugged-out craftsmen Brightblack Morning Light, whose hazy, shimmering songs are all palo santo and desert light, Moon Duo’s creepy synths and razor-sharp guitars never venture into more magical realms.
None of the songs on Shadow of the Sun sound new, but the familiar sounds create an atmosphere of safety that allows the more unexpected elements of the record all the more noteworthy. Occasionally, as on "Night Beat" and "Zero", the synths reach horror-movie levels, toeing the line between new wave and pure camp. The riff to "Slow Down Low" is more Bethany Cosentino than Jerry Garcia, and the song’s precise, languid gentleness accomplishes what psych does at its best; it transports the listener to that place just outside of reality, where it’s ok to drop out and just float for awhile. It’s a shame that this effect isn’t more consistent throughout Shadow of the Sun, but in the moments when the campy, dirge-like darkness lifts, it shines bright.
