Man of Moon: 'Dark Sea'
The Edinburgh-founded duo, Man of Moon, have waited a long time to release their debut album. Chris Bainbridge and Michael Reid have previously released a string of EP’s and singles that explore the dark and personal, but having honed their craft over the past few years, have now developed a newer, more atmospheric sonic experience that retains their lyrical originality.
“I find it easier to write about things that I can relate to and therefore feel emotion towards,” Bainbridge explains. “All tracks on this album focus on thoughts about myself and the people that have been, or are still around me.”
‘Dark Sea’ was recorded at The Cottage Studio, Loch Fyne and the surrounding environment is as much a part of the album as the songs themselves. “The album’s moments of euphoria I think come from the fact that every time we stepped between takes we were just looking across the water at these huge, mountain landscapes,” says Bainbridge.
Combining influences from a far as krautrock and 80’s psychedelia, ‘Dark Sea’ starts in serrated fashion with opener ‘Intro’. Featuring a slower, spoken word intro, the track comes to life via a rather cinematic finale; crafting a conclusion of analogue inspired feedback. ‘Take your eyes above the road for a little while’ echoes Bainbridge on ‘The Road’, a near coming-of-age anthem that features brightly intertwining guitars, clean vocal delivery, and sporadic tambourine throughout that’s greatly reminiscent of Brian Jonestown Massacre’s Joel Gion.
Distinctly Scottish, single ‘Strangers’ features gruff vocals supported by Michael Reid’s motorised drums, whilst ‘Silver Linings’ begins measured, and feels for a second like it might juxtapose its predecessor, but an instant punch of screeching guitar, backed up by a moody chorus, cements it as one of the most impressive tracks on the record. ‘Interlude’, as the name suggests, heralds a momentary lapse in momentum before the second-half storm; the echoey track is a perfect audio representation of the isolating feeling that open water can evoke, an unintended nod to the aquatic influences the album is home to. ‘Rust’ incorporates filtered drums and an aching vocal delivery; the near six-minute epic leaves a lasting impression and is far greater an affirmation to the krautrock/psych influences the band are known to wear on their sleeve.
Throughout ‘Dark Sea’, the lyrical clarification is left to the listener to conjure; although personal and family relationships are often at the core of Bainbridge’s writing, his songs are composed in a way that leads you to connect his verbal arguments to your own thoughts and experiences, shaping a beautifully subjective album for each individual listener. An overall victorious debut full-length that comfortably shifts the duo out of cult-status.
