When I realized The Soft Moon were not only playing in DC at The Black Cat, but on the smaller and more intimate back stage, I gave myself a big ol’ internal high five and counted down the days.
I was curious to see how this “bedroom project” would translate live, as Luis Vasquez’s initial self-titled release was swathed in intimacy as it was produced behind closed doors. The Soft Moon’s follow up album, Zeros, is a much more in-your-face affair, and as such, so was their amazing performance. Majical Cloudz opened the evening, whose band name spelling is more inventive and captivating than their performance actually was.
Canada’s duo Majical Cloudz opened the evening with hearts on their sleeves. Known for minimalistic beats and gut-wrenching vocals, they reminded me of a watered down Walkmen, singing of lost love and drunken evenings. Devin Walsh’s vocals are back by compelling beats, but the performance itself seemed a bit, well, washed out. It could very well be because it was the last show on the tour for both bands. Check out “Turns, Turns, Turns” if you already haven’t heard it, and you must also hear “Dream World,” which features my favorite girl Grimes. I’m curious to hear more from this duo, still early on the scene and getting high marks from credible sources.
The Soft Moon laid the energy on thick, a last performance that still has my ears ringing and wanting to hear more. Vazquez, with guitar in hand and keyboard at his side, channeled the fiery energy of Suicide, yelping out towards the audience and thrashing around to each song. On both Soft Moon albums, Vazquez’s vocals are buried in fuzz, creating a barrier between himself and his audience, but live he confronts the audience directly.
As the follow-up album Zeros has Vasquez playing nice with others, he is joined on stage with a live drummer and another guitarist. The drums have a tinny and cacophonous Martin-Hannett-effect on them. This also gives that early Ministry industrial feel to some of the more driving songs. (My friend and I chatted with the drummer for a bit after the show. We scared him away when we started talking about STDs, go figure.)
I’m not going to give you a play-by-play of tracks in this review because frankly I was swept up in the show, and I think that was entirely the point. Hearing The Soft Moon live, you’re not listening for hooks or lyrics; you’re following a squid ink release of emotion, simultaneously repelled and engulfed by the auditory blast. The music is cold, distant, and isolated.
But unlike Joy Division’s Ian Curtis, the darkwave-riddle-wrapped-in-a-post-punk-enigma that is The Soft Moon produce sumptuous soundscapes that are a product of and catalyst for torrential emotions. If Vasquez were (please, no) never to release another album again, he has released two that are delightfully dark and eternally entertaining with a live show to match.
Photos: Shantel Mitchell
