ALBUM REVIEW: “Escape” Moon Duo

Moon Duo
Escape
Woodsist (2010)

Let’s start by summing up Moon Duo‘s Escape like this: post-apocalyptic fields of heavy psychedelic drone. If that sits well with you, you’ll be pleased to know that this entire four-song EP is as rewarding as it gets. Eric Johnson of Wooden Shjips turns up and spins out sprawling guitar jams drenched in fuzz, melded together by steady, hypnotic drumming courtesy of Sanae Yamada. For instance, “In the Trees” is seven and a half minutes of pounding neo Kraut-pop cloaked in heavy psychedelic sludge. With three more epic songs rounding out the EP, Moon Duo comes eerily close to self-destruction.

But, if you can avoid being crushed by Escape’s ominous layers of distortion, this San Francisco duo simply hasn’t done their job.