With this years buzz bands Wild Nothing and Beach Fossils already in their stable, Captured Tracks’ newest addition, The Soft Moon, seems like yet another step in establishing the Brooklyn based label as a force in the indie record scene. The music of Luis Vasquez, otherwise known as The Soft Moon, has been identified by some as post-punk, but that narrow categorization fails to recognize the unique elements of his work. He has created a modern sound that is uniquely his own by crafting a highly textured series of songs that relentlessly build to create an overwhelming mood, albeit often somber in nature. At times the debut self-titled album almost seems to serve as an homage to the 1980’s Goth music movement, with beats that closely resemble that of early Joy Division albums.
The tracks are, for the most part, fast-paced yet with a persistently dark and foreboding feel. Vasquez’ vocals are often overwhelmed by the heavy synthetic background. This is not to say that the album is sloppy–quite the opposite, actually. Each song maintains a systematically ordered progression, with each note carefully constructed, in its right place, building to a coherent whole.
The tracks on the album seem to fulfill a pattern of build up and release, with whispers that sound like chants building to the emergence of a powerful sound. The first minute of the song “Dead Love” is spent building anticipation with a fast paced drumbeat and an even faster bass line. Vasquez’ vocals kick in as we hear him whining, “don’t leave me alone.” The song maintains it’s beat as Vasquez’ lyrics continue until a break when the song starts to build once again.
In the first 20 seconds of the song “We Are We” there is an even more obvious progression of sound and feeling as the volume itself actually increases as the song progresses. These songs feel like expressions of emotion or more precisely, emotional discovery.
“When it’s Over,” arguably the standout track on the album, breaks from the pattern we see in his other songs. Vasquez’ vocals seem higher and stand at the front of track, creating a dreamlike aesthetic with a softer, slower, drumbeat and an overall less unsettling quality. The song stands out as a comforting break from many of the dark tracks on the rest of the album.
The Soft Moon has delivered a solid but unique debut, one that shines through the mass of bay area bands with a new take on an old sound.
-Anna Oseran