Short Reviews [Moon Men - 2018 - "Uncomfortable Space Probe"]

2018 saw Moon Men return with their second album, and once again Admiral Eschaton Crater, Major Dom Fook, Billzilla and Cthulhu Moone were very much in the world of their own making. With the same line-up as on the debut, plus following it up with another album quite quickly, should mean that in many ways it would sound similar to the debut, but although that is indeed the case in some instances, often this has a more edgy guitar and more fluidity in the background. It is still experimental and esoteric, but somehow, they have maintained these elements while also moving slightly towards the mainstream. Mind you, when I say “mainstream” I am talking about the prog scene, this is not something one would expect to hear on the radio. Brass is still an important element, and on songs such as “Phat Cranium” it is the combination of sax and trombone that provides sanity to an ever-increasingly manic guitar, then in comes the clarinet and all bets are off. There appears to be more structure to much of the music, but that is not say they have dropped the levels of insanity, it is just that it is kept more in check and only breaking through constraints at times. This feels like a much more mature album, of a band growing together but still maintaining the rebellion yet checking it back at times. I am always a sucker for bass notes being slid into, so the introduction to “Moon Men Luv Dance” is a delight, and this also demonstrates just how much impact each member has to song as throughout this piece the bass lines are some of the most important musical threads, yet this was written by Bret Hart and not Jerry King. This is a progression from the previous album, with the band really confident on how to bounce ideas off each other in a more structure manner yet is still as compelling and interesting as the debut. Where would the next one lead us?