Moon King
Hamtramck ’16
Arbutus Records
Moon Kingβs new EP Hamtramck β16 steps a million miles away from his previous eclectic dream pop sound into new territory: disco. The moniker of producer, singer and songwriter Daniel Benjamin, Moon King draws the inspiration for his style shift from a personal seachange. Originally hailing from Toronto, Benjamin last year moved to the musically diverse neighbourhood of Hamtramck. Released as a cassette, the 5-track EP named after his new digs, Hamtramck β16 takes a retrospective nod to the analog 80βs and Detroit dance music. However, aligning an EP so strongly to underground dance roots sets listeners up for disappointment. With the expectation of diverse sounds and synth-tastic apexes, instead, the tracks of the EP all start with catchy promise and end up dispirited and flat. Disco-oriented songs such as βCome Aroundβ miss the beloved hallmarks of the era. The dazzling heights and elastic urgency of discoβs signature 4/4 dance beat is replaced by underwhelming, tinny hi-hats that drag their heels and hold back any potential for spectacle or excitement. Frustratingly, the lifeless beat is repeated on βJasmineβ, a soulful 4-minute pop number that shuffles to a groove tempo but plateaus quickly in energy and textural interest.
A high point on the album comes with single βIn & Outβ, a track that captures the dreamy synths interlaced with Benjaminβs lo-fi vocals and falling arpeggiating notes, hallmarks that made tracks like βRoswellβ and βSecret Lifeβ such incredible soundscapes off of Moon Kingβs previous release Secret Life. The gated techno beat of βIn & Outβ whips its way throughout the song to provide a nice anchor for the gazey layers. Dance fever is short lived however, with the ballad of the following track βJust a Minuteβ. Benjaminβs androgynous vocals here emulate the falsetto of the Bee Gees, but are poorly supported by a deadpan beat that sounds more like pressing the demo button of a Casio keyboard than a well thought out synthesized rhythm section. βHit Itβ delivers a vocal break with a synth instrumental track that mimics the break beats of 80s house music, kind of cool but with potential left to go weirder, to delve into the electronic layers that Benjamin is capable of.
Whatβs genuinely impressive though, is Moon Kingβs guts to radically reinvent himself and evolve with his surroundings. To shift from the sways of Cocteau Twins-esque dream pop that made Moon Kingβs first two releases so well received, to Giorgio Moroder-style dance hall grooves is a huge stylistic undertaking and creative risk. While missing the mark this time on disco, Hamtramck β16 sets Moon King up as an interesting artist to listen out for.
ArtistΒ Links
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: MOON KING – HAMTRAMCK ’16
Michelle La