Moon Saloon
In a Nutshell:
Recommended for:
Artsy folks
Folks into Folk
Folks into Indie
Frank Zappa fans
Average rating: 7.3/10
Pros:
Excellent musicianship
Excellent production
Cons:
Quirky and sometimes challenging to listen to
Requires an acquired taste
Straight outta Rhode Island, Arc Iris provide a blend of Indie, Folk, Psychedelic, Jazz, and other genres to present a Frankenstein’s monster form of music. The band is led by singer Jocie Adams, formerly of The Low Anthem. Arc Iris’s eponymous debut album was released in 2014 and raised some eyebrows in the process.
Photo by: Paul Hudson
J-Daddy:
Jocie Adams does the music thing good. This album shows that. As someone who admittedly was not very knowledgeable of this band, I was a little taken aback by the musicianship exhibited in this album. There are weird time signatures, nonconventional song structures, and intriguing melodies all over Moon Saloon. The musical talent from the members of Arc Iris is at a level that is very hard to find in music with such an Indie/Folk vibe to it. It is quite refreshing.
The sound and production on Moon Saloon is quite awesome too. There is a seemingly endless amount of musical influences throughout. The most predominant genres you hear are Indie and Folk, but sometimes it’s jazzy, sometimes it’s psychedelic, sometimes it’s soft and somber, and sometimes it gets a little country-ish. Arc Iris have a sound that is completely theirs, and I respect that greatly. My favorite thing about this album, however is the production. It’s brilliant, all of it. The production and engineering from Moon Saloon does Nigel Godrich (Radiohead) and George Martin (Beatles producer, not Game of Thrones author) real proud. The songs “Kaleidoscope,” “Rainy Days,” and “Saturation Brain” bring in some of the brilliance of In Rainbows and Sgt. Pepper with haunting reversed vocals and tasteful effects added to instruments.
Something that may stop people from listening to Arc Iris is the quirkiness/weirdness that the band has. Arc Iris is not the most accessible band around. They don’t produce songs that are stupidly catchy and will be stuck in your head for the rest of your life. Their songs are at times challenging and also silly like the song “Johnny.” A good band to compare them to is Frank Zappa. The music is impressive, but it is also weird and not always supposed to be taken super seriously.
Overall, Moon Saloon is a neat little album with impressive musicianship and production. Sometimes the quirkiness can be a little offsetting and it definitely requires an acquired taste to dig the album, but I recommend checking them out.
Favorite Songs: “Kaleidoscope,” “Rainy Days”
7.5/10
Magicfingers:
In Moon Saloon we have an album that displays a plethora of ideas, sounds, genres, instruments, and production styles. Absolutely every aspect of this record is overflowing with diversity. The group’s reach for creativity had me thinking of a band we listened to and reviewed earlier this year, Let’s Eat Grandma. In the first track alone, “Kaleidoscope”, we get an epic six and half minute introduction to the band’s arsenal of guitars, synths, stand-up bass, violins, keyboards and synthesizers. We also get our first taste of vocals and lyrics by Jocie Adams, which carry on strong though the whole album.
Arc Iris tastefully blends together traditional and classical music with fresh and modern production. The result is other-worldly. At times this is extremely charming and at other times a bit hard to follow. The album is not an easy listen to be fair, it is a piece of art that demands focus and direct attention. This may or may not be your cup of tea. But given the chance much of this album is quite enjoyable to listen to. At the very least I would be shocked if any listener did not at least appreciate the sheer creativity and impressive musicianship that bleeds out of this record.
I would say this album has aspects of folk, contemporary classical music, electronica, rock, and jazz but more than anything it’s indie. It’s indie pop really but also nothing like radio pop music. You won’t find any singles on this album. In fact, you won’t find any singles from this band. I find this very refreshing. Moon Saloon was recorded in two days and most of the narrative was written over the course of a single week, in a creative rush. This makes for an extremely cohesive group of songs.
The lyrics and music are emotional and heartfelt. Adams’ vocals are fun and bouncy, yet powerful and haunting at other times. Overall it was a really impressive record. It might not be anything you listen to over and over again, you probably won’t blast it on your car speakers when you drive along the beachside, but it’s worth listening to.
Favorite Songs: “Pretending”, “Moon Saloon”
7.3/10
Photo by: John Harvey Pegg
Mom:
Arc Iris vs. Moon Saloon
I was a big dummy this week and listened to the wrong album by the same artist. Thus, I decided to keep my first review and compare it to the correct album.
Arc Iris (album)
Arc Iris is unique. When I listen to this artist I pick up a St. Vincent-like undertone. This is precisely because the album is both artsy and interesting. That is mostly why I like it. Pop musicians are all tasked with the same thing. They need to make meaningful, authentic art while still being accessible to a general audience. This album does a good job straddling such an unclear line.
Perky vocals are the true stylistic trademark of this artist. The vocalist’s shaky falsetto paired with her Disney princess vibrato sharply contrasts her stronger, upbeat belt. Her voice got a bit old for me during a full album run through. If you tend to prefer soulful vocalists that spice up every melody they get their hands on, this album really is not for you. I, for one, tend to lean more towards that side. Nevertheless, I sincerely appreciate the album. In brief, the songwriting is decent, the album progresses, the production is captivating, and it even plays with a variety of genres.
The real shortcoming of this album is that it nothing sticks to you. You don’t finish the album with a memorable lyrical/theme take away, a tune to hum around for the rest of the week, or even a quirk to tell your friends about. Though this album has some unique bits and scraps, nothing really gets to you at a gut level. After a full listen followed by a retrospective skim, nothing really pops out. I would recommend this album for a fun listen. This being said, I can see it potentially having some difficulties in terms or record sales. But really, it comes down to the vocals. If you like a poppy, spunky female singer- SPIN IT. If you do not, don’t waste your time.
6/10
Song: “Swimming”
Moon Saloon
OK, so you got the whole dealio with my opinions on the artist following her self titled album. New album, new artist? The opening track already bit me in the ass. She changed some things up. After listening to her other album, I was only moderately amused. What once was the artist that you’d here opening for Ingrid Michaelson is now the headliner at an art festival so to speak. It feels like she finally fully bought into her creative side.
What is different? Following what seems to be a trend with musicians we have picked, this artist is becoming a little darker, at least the production is. Her first album hits a little more of the upbeat side of life. Further differences include superior production, yet weaker songwriting. The major flaw of the first album is fixed- sort of. This album packs a little more punch than the first did. Certain elements do stand out. I thought “Lilly”’s production is a perfect example of this.
What is the same? Her melancholy songs continue to contain her best songwriting. Next, her vocals. She is starting to shake off her pipsqueak style and delve into a more mature and conventional style. This was the better album of the two.
Favorite Song: “Lilly”
7/10
Here's Arc Iris' website so all you folksy folk can find out more info about tours, merch, and buy their music.
NEXT ALBUM: "THE PHOSPHORESCENT BLUES"
BY: PUNCH BROTHERS
Our team is comprised of some semi-normal, occasionally funny people who love to listen to and talk about music. And like many of you, we constantly find ourselves hungry to discover new music.