“luna”
Luna
The Days of Our Nights
Jericho
Upon listening to this album for several weeks, I realize why Elektra dropped Luna from their roster and opted to not release this CD. Certainly, the powers-that-be would appreciate the difficulty in marketing a band with wit, style, and grace. In the land where pre-fabricated pop stars reign supreme, there is no place for Luna’s music. This is a pity, because this is a stellar album.
This is their fifth album and a much better affair than their last album, Pup Tent . On this release, Dean Wareham, lead singer, guitarist, and New Zealand expatriate, once again displays his mordant wit and wry observations on life, love and relationships. His lyrics are perfectly matched with superb guitar music that neither retreads pseudo grunge riffs or mimics the host of nameless, faceless bands that hide under the moniker “new music.” The opener, “Dear Diary,” deals with love and obsession. On “The Old
Fashioned Way,” he addresses a lover about a relationship going sour. This is probably one of the finest non-single singles of the year. The album contains the track “Superfreaky Memories,” which was released in Europe earlier this year. In addition to these tracks, there is a song in German, and Luna even gives Guns n’ Roses’ “Sweet Child O’ Mine” a go round. If you like the Velvet Underground or want to imagine a happy version of Low, give this album a chance. It is truly one of the top five albums of the year.
