Review: Moonface – Dreamland EP
Moonface - Dreamland EP (2010) [Jagjaguwar] // Grade: B+
Canadian Spencer Krug is most known as the lead singer/songwriter and keyboardist for Wolf Parade. But if you’re a fan of Krug, then you’ve probably also listened to his work with bands Sunset Rubdown, Swan Lake, Frog Eyes and Fifths of Seven. Krug adds one more credit to his resume with his newest project, the solo effort Moonface that steps away from indie rock, tossing structure and expectations to the wayside.
Krug’s original aim for Sunset Rubdown was a solo project, but only one full album, 2005′s Snake’s Got A Leg fulfilled this goal before he took on more members, shifting focus and becoming a full band. Krug’s debut as Moonface feels very much like the work of someone who’s been searching and waiting for a personal outlet and of all of his past and present projects, the only effort that sounds remotely derivative of Dreamland is Snake’s Got A Leg.
Available as a pay what you can afford download, the EP, fully titled, Dreamland EP: marimba and shit-drums, consists solely of a single, 20-minute track that drifts in and out of consciousness, forged from Krug’s vocals and accompanied only by, as the title suggests, marimbas and “shit-drums”. (What the hell is a shit-drum?) If this EP wasn’t recorded in a single, stream-of-consciousness session, then Krug does an amazing job of faking improvisation. Lyrics of glass guitars, flower children and whirlpool seas paired with the repetitive and minimal instrumentation represent the lucidity of dreaming with amazing accuracy.
Dreamland itself is wonderfully weird and interesting enough to hold my attention through repeat listenings, but Krug takes the EP’s imaginative nature one step further with the amazing Moonface website that includes not only all the lyrics, but Krug’s own personal dream journal as well as a dream forum for visitors to submit their own.
Dreamland is most definitely a concept album and with the full package of the website factoring in, I find it difficult to envision how Krug will be able to transition Moonface into further releases. But perhaps longevity isn’t the aim and Krug just wanted one chance to let loose before heading back into the studio with Wolf Parade.
