It’s a bit strange that The Soft Moon didn’t release his self titled début before the 31st of October, because this record is probably the ultimate Halloween soundtrack of 2010. In the darkest depths of San Fransisco, founder and only member of the band Luis Vasquez gave birth to one of the most spooky records of the last couple of years. Listening to The Soft Moon conspires to make you believe that Jack The Ripper is still searching for new victims in the obscure alleys of London and Freddy Krueger will appear in your nightmares.
The album is like an ice cube that won’t melt. Those who adore The Cure’s ‘Pornography’, Bauhaus’s ‘Mask’ and OMD’s ‘Architecture & Morality’ will embrace the coldness and abstract sound of The Soft Moon. Others will shiver of his music. ‘Sewer sickness’, ‘Parallels’, ‘Circles’ and ‘Primal eyes’, all of these songs could function in an old-school horror movie. Picture yourself an old desolated fabric where a serial killer is chasing his victim. Hearing the futuristic drums it’s like the rhythm symbolises the heartbeat of the hunted and the morbid synth chords capture every movement of the killer.
Luis Vasquez got stuck in the late seventies and beginning of the eighties when the English Gothic rock and new wave scenes were emerging and producer Martin Hannett created the industrial sound of Joy Division. Although the culmination of these genres was thirty years ago, the young San Franciscan now succeeds to refresh this kind of music. Listen to the record and it’s like this dark lord can attack you out of nowhere. Fear lies at every corner and when Vasquez breaths down your neck, as in ‘Out of time’ you’re almost peeing your pants. It’s frightening, but every time you’re hearing The Soft Moon it gives you an adrenalin boost.
You can run, but you can’t hide.
Words : Kasper - Jan Raeman
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