Portland psychedelic trio Moon Duo are back with their fourth eagerly awaited long-player Occult Architecture Vol 1. They managed to finely hone their trademark repetitive kraut-rock inspired sound on their debut album Mazes and have never looked back. Drummer John Jeffrey was drafted in for their live shows on their last tour and is now a permanent member of the band along with Ripley Johnson on guitar and Sanae Yamada on synths. Jeffrey’s precise drumming style fits in perfectly with Johnson’s swirling psychedelic guitar jams adding an extra dimension to their minimalist sound essentially turning them into a band.

Moon Duo

On their previous outings Moon Duo have favoured shorter punchy songs with the occasional five to seven minute epic adventure into another realm of psychedelic bliss resplendent with distorted guitars, driving synths and Ripley’s repetitive mantras. On Occult Architecture Vol.1 Moon Duo have signalled a slight musical shift with many of the tracks weighing in at over 5 minutes. The album opens with Death Set, a desert rock slow burner that tumbles along effortlessly whilst Ripley repeats the phrase ‘There Is A Sound In My Head’ whilst Yamada’s synths dissolve icily in the background. A sparse void opens up on Cold Heart populated by Yamada’s eerie vocals and agitated buzzing synthesizers giving it the feel of a claustrophic Cabaret Voltaire record.

Moon Duo launch into space rock mode on Creepin with Ripley’s guitars weaving seamlessly in-between Jeffrey’s tight drumming which wouldn’t have sounded out of place on their previous albums. This makes way for Cross-Town Fade, an absolute monster of a track. Yamada’s infectious synth’s herald the start of the song and Jeffrey’s metronome drumming style keeps a stoic rhythm until the end. This is Moon Duo doing what they do best and it feels like being on a perpetual roller coaster of sounds that just don’t want to end. Moloch is the ancient pagan god of child sacrifice and it is no surprise that Cult of Moloch is one of the heaviest songs on Occult Architecture. Ripley lets loose left, right and centre with his guitar riffs and the volume gets turned right up to 11. Things are taken down a notch for Will Of The Devil and there is a fuzzy space reverb throughout the track which pairs well with Yamada’s chiming keyboards giving it the feel of a 1980’s Horror soundtrack.

The album ends with the glorious White Rose – a surf rock guitar fest that is accentuated with layers of synthesizers that fall, rise and expand taking the listener into another world. Legendary kraut rockers CAN did this with ease and it looks like that Moon Duo are up to the task too.