Part of the fun of review writing is coming across something good completely unexpectedly. Black Moon Mother from Nashville, Tennessee, and their debut Illusions Under the Sun definitely were a very positive surprise. The album cover with its golden lettering above a hazy red photograph of a dancer swirling a scarf around did establish a connection to the 70s, to smoke- and drug-filled clubs, but nothing indicated the unusual mixture of sound I was about to encounter.

On paper, psych rock, doom metal and shoegaze look like strange bedfellows. The three genres next to one another appear like an exercise of crossing the odd one out. But once you’ve heard Illusions Under the Sun and experienced how easily and seemingly effortlessly Black Moon Mother merge light and heavy soundscapes, you’ll wonder why no one else thought of trying that particular threesome before. The music that resulted from it is pleasant, very listenable and has the potential of appealing to a wide audience, yet it is far from sounding commercial.

Listening to Illusions Under the Sun, you will immediately notice the album’s sexy, slightly disturbing, lazy vibe. The slightly disturbing part is due to the fact that vocalist Brianne O’Neill plays with the image of a Lolita. This is most obvious in the video to the fittingly named track Around the Finger, making the video an ideal starting point if you want to get an idea of atmosphere, aesthetics and music.

What Black Moon Mother have got going for themselves is a combination of contrasts, and Brianne’s subtle vocals are one of the several contrasting elements. Their counterpart is an instrument often overlooked – the bass. The earthy goodness of bass playing à la Black Sabbath greatly contributes to the appeal of the band’s compositions and once again proves that is pays off to go back to the classics. The distance between the subdued, unobtrusive, female vocals and the deep, reverberating bass is bridged by psych rock guitars which probably will excite some listeners all by themselves.

The album begins slow and dreamy with Lost in the Maze. Around the Finger comes next and already features all of the components described above, raising expectations for more. High Winds then takes its time, but via a long, excellent build up absolutely delivers on those expectations. Pay attention to those guitars and that bass! Although High Winds is probably the albums best track, what follows does not feel anti-climactic, because each one of the songs has a slightly different character. Slow Down, for example, has a folky feel, while Radiant Sun calls death rock to mind. The instrumental, short final number Afterglow brings you slowly back to the here and now, ending in a prolonged silence.

Black Moon Mother’s unusual combination of light and heavy soundscapes will appeal to a broad spectrum of music fans and has great potential. I’m pretty sure their fan base will expand quickly.

(8/10 Slavica)

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https://blackmoonmother.bandcamp.com/album/illusions-under-the-sun