Recent Colorado émigrés played to a rapt, sadly-less-than-half-full last Saturday. Still, those who were in attendance were ALL in. Unlike most shows where there’s a myriad of people texting or talking over the band, nearly everyone was drawn in by the duo’s infectious, hypnotic riffs.
You could dance or trance (or both) within the same “song” if you wanted to, and a lot did. Most of the riffs were no more than a couple of notes, but what guitarist Ripley Johnson did over, under, sideways, down and in-between the riffs and assorted electronics that keyboardist Sanae Yamada conjured up is what drew everyone in. Any doubts that Moon Duo couldn’t recreate the blissed-out atmospherics of their records were dispatched within minutes.
There was a lot of sound coming from just these two musicians and not just amplified noise. Johnson’s Airline guitar playing was brilliant, creating fuzzy shards of psychedelia. However, it wasn’t just some guitar hero wannabe shredding over a noodling keyboard. Yamada’s electronics didn’t just merely provide the rhythm; she also cut huge swaths of sound as well.
This was one of the better uses of electronics I’ve heard in years and, unlike some electronica “jam bands” in search of a groove to help kill 10 or 15 minutes, Yamada’s playing was anything but meandering. Besides anchoring the song, the loops, percussion, effects, etc., came pre-loaded and ready to work.
Moon Duo’s best songs employ repetition quite effectively, along with irresistible riffs that border on childlike (ala Brian Eno’s post-Roxy Music/pre-ambient records) simplicity. Yet, before you even realize it, your head tells your ears that there’s a whole lot more going on. Like his work in Wooden Shijps, Johnson brilliantly employs pedal effects. Here though, his playing is more purposeful. Itap still trippy as hell, but within a more structured pop framework.
Like garage rock, the more primitive Moon Duo got, the harder it was to resist. Johnson and Yamada clearly have their influences (who doesn’t?) but live at the Hi-Dive, as on their March 29th-released album, “Mazes,” they’ve shown they’re doing far more than just rehashing those influences.
Follow our news and updates on , our whereabouts on and our relationship status on . Or send us a telegram.
Mike Long is a Longmont-based writer and comedian and a regular contributor to Reverb.
Michael McGrath is a Denver area photographer. His work is available at . Visit .
