Luna Rex
brianlux
Posts: 42,025
Friends, our own JonnyPistachio and his band, LUNA REX have put out a new album entitled "All Kinds of Terrain". If you haven't heard it yet, you'll want to soon! Here is my review of this most excellent album. Well done, Jonny and co.!
When friends ask me to listen to copy of their CD or tape I’m always happy to listen and give feedback and hopeful that there may even be a few things that really stand out on them. Their efforts are always appreciated, especially in light of the fact that my own recorded output is very limited- pretty much in line with my own musical talent.
So when JonnyPistachio mailed me a copy of his bands new CD, LUNA REX, “All Kinds of Terrain”, I popped it in and hoped that there might be something there that rises about the rest of the pack. Little did I know what I treat I was in for.
The album opens with the title song, “All Kinds of Terrain” which itself opens with a mesmerizing motif. Toward the end of the song I felt that little tingling in my scalp that tells me I’m hearing something really good and I begin to feel hopeful that this album may garner more than just one good cut or two, though I’m still a bit guarded- I’ve listed to a lot of much and its hard not to get that “we shall see” feeling.
But as the songs unfold, rather than fall off they build. “Covered in Blue” is terrific and “Gojira” is as exotic as its title and “Pioneer Days” is a great- a marvelous piece brushed with enough psychedelia to make it mesmerizing but not the kind of trip in which you lose your way or fall hard.
“Travels from a VW Bus” is a gas! That tingling in the scalp is making its way to my feet and I’m finding I’m very happy to be on this little bus ride. No doubt about it- it’s a fine ride indeed. Next up is an excellent Pink Floyd cover, “Run Like Hell”, the catchy “Ride it to Land” with some great turns and chorus and a pair of succinct and superb guitar solos and “Little Ghosts” - a sweet ballad with more than a hint of melancholia. From there the mood is quickly punched up with “Wait”, an energetic rave up with its cool bluesy outro.
The final piece, “The Stalker” is a tasteful mini-suite/jam that fades out with repeated tones reminiscent of Fripp and Eno.
The music on”All Kinds of Terrain” really does cover a lot of terrain. It is lush without being syrupy, complex without being overly complicated, sophisticated but never snobbish. The production and mix are excellent and consistent throughout and the band plays superbly together, each member contributing their individual strengths. There are hints of influences running all through this record but as a whole this band has made its own stamp and that stamp says, “This is LUNA REX”.
When friends give me copies of their CDs to listen to I always feel a bit jealous of their tenacity, talent, and hard work in putting put out a disc. When I listen to LUNA REX I revel in that jealousy knowing someone is doing what many of us only dream of.
When friends ask me to listen to copy of their CD or tape I’m always happy to listen and give feedback and hopeful that there may even be a few things that really stand out on them. Their efforts are always appreciated, especially in light of the fact that my own recorded output is very limited- pretty much in line with my own musical talent.
So when JonnyPistachio mailed me a copy of his bands new CD, LUNA REX, “All Kinds of Terrain”, I popped it in and hoped that there might be something there that rises about the rest of the pack. Little did I know what I treat I was in for.
The album opens with the title song, “All Kinds of Terrain” which itself opens with a mesmerizing motif. Toward the end of the song I felt that little tingling in my scalp that tells me I’m hearing something really good and I begin to feel hopeful that this album may garner more than just one good cut or two, though I’m still a bit guarded- I’ve listed to a lot of much and its hard not to get that “we shall see” feeling.
But as the songs unfold, rather than fall off they build. “Covered in Blue” is terrific and “Gojira” is as exotic as its title and “Pioneer Days” is a great- a marvelous piece brushed with enough psychedelia to make it mesmerizing but not the kind of trip in which you lose your way or fall hard.
“Travels from a VW Bus” is a gas! That tingling in the scalp is making its way to my feet and I’m finding I’m very happy to be on this little bus ride. No doubt about it- it’s a fine ride indeed. Next up is an excellent Pink Floyd cover, “Run Like Hell”, the catchy “Ride it to Land” with some great turns and chorus and a pair of succinct and superb guitar solos and “Little Ghosts” - a sweet ballad with more than a hint of melancholia. From there the mood is quickly punched up with “Wait”, an energetic rave up with its cool bluesy outro.
The final piece, “The Stalker” is a tasteful mini-suite/jam that fades out with repeated tones reminiscent of Fripp and Eno.
The music on”All Kinds of Terrain” really does cover a lot of terrain. It is lush without being syrupy, complex without being overly complicated, sophisticated but never snobbish. The production and mix are excellent and consistent throughout and the band plays superbly together, each member contributing their individual strengths. There are hints of influences running all through this record but as a whole this band has made its own stamp and that stamp says, “This is LUNA REX”.
When friends give me copies of their CDs to listen to I always feel a bit jealous of their tenacity, talent, and hard work in putting put out a disc. When I listen to LUNA REX I revel in that jealousy knowing someone is doing what many of us only dream of.
“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
Variously credited to Mark Twain or Edward Abbey.
Post edited by brianlux on
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We'd really like some feedback on the songs if you have time...the album can be downloaded for free for the next few days at bandcamp: https://lunarex.bandcamp.com/ (it will be 7.99 in a few days)
Cheers and good on ya!
www.cluthelee.com
www.cluthe.com
Unless you guys want the mp3s...they can be temporarily downlaoded for free at bandcamp. But I can easily send you the CD...there's pretty sweet art work too!
1996: Ft Lauderdale
1998: Birmingham
2000: Charlotte, Tampa
2003: Tampa, Atlanta, Phoenix
2004: Kissimmee
2008: West Palm Beach, Bonnaroo, Columbia
2010: MSG2
2012: Music Midtown
2014: Memphis
2018: Wrigley 1, Fenway 1
2022: Nashville
2023: Ft. Worth II
All Kinds of Terrain
Gojira
Pioneer Days
Travels From a VW Bus
Ride it to Land (if I had to list my #1 favorite it'd be this one)
The Stalker
Out of 50 years of listing to rock and roll, this album makes my top 10 all time favorites. Fantastic!
Brian! Are you trying to make my head explode?! I have had so much respect for your musical opinion over the years, and this is the most flattering thing I've heard regarding our tunes! Thank you so much. Im smiling ear to ear.
What's also funny is that Ride it to Land almost didnt make the album. We had a hard time getting that one to sound right. I find it difficult to sing for some odd reason. its pretty straight forward vocally, but I hear a range that I just cannot hit sometimes in there. It also had a longer intro that just didnt sound right. We decided to ax the intro and just go rigjht into the song and it made it so much better. Glad to hear you like it.,,and of course, you've heard the story/background to that song.... its a sad song with a very positive attempt at looking to the future..at least thats what I tried to say when using the ocean (and waves) as an analogy. There will always be more waves. Some will be scary, but some will be perfect for riding on.
I'm so glad Ride it to Land made the cut! Besides just really enjoying the groove and the sound/melody of the song, I think what I like about it is the idea that- just as you say- there's always another wave. We all know the experience of loss- I know I've had plenty of that- and the idea of getting back on the board, the horse, the track of life is so important. The wave metaphor is even more excellent to me because it involves nature- the ocean which is the place I always go back to. At the hardest moments of my life I've always found myself standing on the shore and finding solace by the sea.
Well said Brian! The right nature metaphor can be quite moving.
My favorite song for today: "Travels Travels From a V.W. Bus". A great ride! :-)
Oh dang, now i'm getting nervous! I think our show saturday id gonna be pretty big. Those videos seem to have done the job getting our music out there locally!
Ahhh, VW Bus...one of my personal favorites is near the end when our lead guitarist just starts doing some funky shit. I cant even tell what he's doing, but its rad.
That song is totally RAD! About 12 hours after I posted that my latest favorite is VW Bus I heard from a local acquaintance- a surfer who regularly makes the 3 hour drive from here to the coast to surf- wants to sell his VW bus. I'm thinking, "OK dude, but if you get stuck at the coast and have to walk all the way home..."
It's probably too old and worn out but I have to go check out that VW bus this weekend anyway!
If you get that VW Bus, we might be sharing margaritas sooner than you thought! Ive always wanted to find an old VW Bus to shoot a video for that song. I see a few driving around here by the sea, but I cant get the nerve to ask if they want to have it appear in a video.
Cool, you used to have a '74! good year. Someone I know was born that year
Cool, you used to have a '74! good year. Someone I know was born that year
1996: Ft Lauderdale
1998: Birmingham
2000: Charlotte, Tampa
2003: Tampa, Atlanta, Phoenix
2004: Kissimmee
2008: West Palm Beach, Bonnaroo, Columbia
2010: MSG2
2012: Music Midtown
2014: Memphis
2018: Wrigley 1, Fenway 1
2022: Nashville
2023: Ft. Worth II
The weirdest thing happened at the end of that song when we played it live saturday...You know how the end is kinda a long jam? It turned into a funkier jam and somehow went reggae for a minute or two. haha the joys of improvisational live jamming!
The show was great! It couldnt have went better!
I arrived early to hel pthe opening band set up, and im glad I did because the venue is somewhat small. It's one of our favorite places to play - its a little house that is converted into a bar/restaurant/venue. I knew there would be a good crowd, but I didnt expect them to show up so early! So it wasnt easy setting up. I was in and out of the venue a lot loading gear and one of the staff stopped me and said "we've been looking all over for you - you got a good luck call from a friend in California!...a Mr. Brian..."
So, the opening band, Luxury of Company started right at 11pm and they were stellar. Then we came on a few minutes before midnight. I realized I was sweating. A lot! it was cool in the room, but it was crowded, so it was heating up fast. And wha tI like about the venue, is that there is no stage. Its a living room with hard wood floors, so we are right on the level with our fans, friends, and family. And sometimes, they are scattered around, drinking and talking...but this time, they were crunched right up on the band, forming a circle around us. It was intense. We started off the set with an old song called "The Painter," which is actually a fun kinda reggae rock tune about Bob Ross. Most of our fans know the lyrics, so there was some singing. Then we busted into the newer songs and it all flew by. We have one other fun party tune called "Girls on Surfboards", and its quite a sing along...at this point near the end of the set, folks were really loosening up and partying and I looked around at the band and they were all loving it. The whole set went well, and I only forgot a few lyrics haha. I think we sold about 35 CDs too, so that was nice!
Here's the setlist:
1. The Painter, aka Bob Ross
2. All Kinds of Terrain
3. Gojira (the crowd got to clapping along at the end - was really cool)
4. Travels from a VW Bus
5. Run Like Hell (pink Floyd)
6. Ride it to Land
7. The Stalker (I think it might have went 15 minutes!)
8. Pioneer Days
9. Girls on Surfboards
10. The Farm
11. Mangos and Time Machines (as request from a friend)
we would have kept playing, but i was losing my voice and it was nearly 1:45 am and I realized we still needed to give out some albums!
Had a lot of free drinkg, and went to bed at 4am, only to wake at 7am...ouch. Sunday was all day recovery! lol
To my ears this is one fantastic CD! But don't take it from me- just go to YouTube and check out the songs from "All Kinds of Terrain" there and see what you think and if you like what you hear, the CD will knock your socks off and put your head in a good space!
1996: Ft Lauderdale
1998: Birmingham
2000: Charlotte, Tampa
2003: Tampa, Atlanta, Phoenix
2004: Kissimmee
2008: West Palm Beach, Bonnaroo, Columbia
2010: MSG2
2012: Music Midtown
2014: Memphis
2018: Wrigley 1, Fenway 1
2022: Nashville
2023: Ft. Worth II
Thanks guys!
man, I wish we could do a mini tour or something. We thought about doing a Gainesville-atlanta-Tampa-Orlando run, but its just been too hard getting all four of us that much time off. ..and not to mention we need a VW bus big enough to lug all our gear! haha
oh man that would be so sweet! Now you've got me daydreaming of west coast sunsets and good crowds of music fans!...
1996: Ft Lauderdale
1998: Birmingham
2000: Charlotte, Tampa
2003: Tampa, Atlanta, Phoenix
2004: Kissimmee
2008: West Palm Beach, Bonnaroo, Columbia
2010: MSG2
2012: Music Midtown
2014: Memphis
2018: Wrigley 1, Fenway 1
2022: Nashville
2023: Ft. Worth II