Album Review: The Soft Moon - Zeroes

The Soft Moon
Zeroes
Rating: Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It

San Francisco based The Soft Moon (the solo project of multi-instrumentalist Luis Vasquez) has a laser-sharp focus on its aesthetic and never veers from its trajectory. Over the course of two early EPs and now full length Zeroes, Vasquez draws from the synth-punk nihilism of Suicide, goth grandeur of Pornography-era Cure, with touches of everything from Cabaret Voltaire, Bauhaus, and krautrock. Synths are rough-edged and harsh, guitars are brittle and icy, all rushing forward with intensely precise drum machines. There are no warm or contemplative moments on Zeroes, it all moves at a breakneck pace to its bitter end.

The best tracks on Zeroes are the ones that keep things streamlined and focused. From the brutal aggression of "Machines" with its vocals buried in the mix amid the swell of twisted synth lines,



the arctic chug of scraping guitars and thudding drum machines of title track "Zeroes,"



gloomy squall of "Insides,"



to the pounding rhythms and buzzy/squeltchy synths of "Die Life," these tracks get to the point quickly and remain in the memory.



The missteps on the record only occur when the focus veers off course or the tracks become too cluttered. "Remembering The Future" starts off promising with a bouncier beat, but soon loses itself with annoying synth drones,



"Crush" gets mired in its own synthetic gloom,



while "Want" reaches new heights in trying one's patience with its unrelenting swirls of drones and clattering percussion.



There are enough excellent tracks on Zeroes to keep me coming back to it, but the narrow focus of the record keeps me at arms length from loving it outright. A little more diversity and perhaps some changes in dynamics and tempos would have alleviating the all-consuming dourness of the record. But still, it is a bracing listen, and should have a deeper impact in a live setting.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and piques one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.