Short Reviews [Moon X - 2022 - "Zap!"]

Following on from the demise of Moon Men, Cthulhu Moone (Jerry King - guitar, bass, trombone, voice) and Dom Fook (Dave Newhouse - keyboards, woodwinds, voice) formed a new band with Giles Oort (George Newhouse – drums), and once again brought in Ian Beabout (no strange nicknames) to mix and master. As Moon Men they released five albums in quite short succession, and here we see Moon X moving in a similar fashion in that they play jazz/prog/space rock with an experimental twist. There are not many bassists who quite happily bring in a trombone, while the keyboards are to the fore even though Dave is far more widely regarded as a woodwind player. He and Jerry have played on multiple projects, both together and separately, and while the former will always be best known for The Muffins and Manna/Mirage I am surprised at just how often I see Jerry appearing on albums I am reviewing. Apart from the surreal “Interview With a Hooman” and “Pickman’s Brew”, which is an advert for Cthulhu Moone beer, this is an instrumental album where the guys bounce ideas. It is something which very much needs to be listened on headphones as there are nuances and intricacies which otherwise will just pass the listener by. Jazz is the starting point, with elements of Canterbury. “La Lune et son Histoire” is sublime, simply beautiful as the musicians gently come in, like ripples on a pond but never wanting to spoil the tranquillity. Compare that to the almost animalistic aggression of “Trouble In Ranagar” where Jerry and George kick up a real storm, only changing tack when Dave comes in with his controlled woodwind and piano. Over the last few years I have been fortunate to hear quite a lot from Jerry and Dave, and I always come away feeling much better for it. Again we have music which refuses to compromise to commerciality yet somehow is very easy to enjoy and get inside. One for those who enjoy their jazz and prog to be out of the ordinary without being too much work.