ALBUM REVIEW: You Be Good, I Love You – Million Moons
Post rock outfit, MILLION MOONS, have put out their newest record, You Be Good, I Love You. The quartet view this release as an exciting step forward for the band with the album being a pure soundscape for the world and it’s many creatures, captured with beautiful compositions and environmental pieces. As guitarist, pianist and composer, Edward Thompson, puts it, the album came from the concept of reconnecting us to nature, “Part of the problem is that urbanisation has separated many of us from the world’s natural beauty. Our goal is to help people reconnect with it through mindful reflection.” And, in our humble opinion, MILLION MOONS have gone beyond merely reconnecting us to nature.
Opening things up is Titan Of The Deep. As you can guess from the title places us in the deep, blue ocean (a little nod to Thompson’s background as a marine biologist) where we hear low sounds before piano and synths come, building the intensity, before the full band comes in creating something that blends hard rock with classic rock riffs that, on the one hand, feels epic, yet on the other doesn’t take away from the ethereal beauty of the sounds we experience, and by the end you can’t help but sit in awe.
Even though the record’s focus is on nature and animals, there’s something here that we can also relate to on a human, emotional level. There are genuine moments where we go from one emotion to the next, to then a blend of the two that somehow feels like a perfect capture of conflicting feelings. For example, Last Days Together with the use of distorted guitars and orchestral string instrumentals, as well as the presence of typical rock compositions, you’ll slowly come to expect, creates a softer tone where you feel somewhat moved, melancholy, but there is still a presence of joy. And then in another example we have Echoes In The Abyss, that, in direct contrast to the title, starts out with twinkly, gentle noises that feel gentle and calming, before shifting into something more serious in nature with the use of an organ, and then back and forth again.
The point is that each track tells a separate story and is set in entirely different locations across the record. You place yourself in those types of natural environments, yet you can also play out your own stories thanks to the pacing, maybe a little reminder that we’re closer to animals and nature than one might expect. All concluded with the beautiful, dream-pop infused Floating For Eternity which, honestly, has a title that tells you all you really need to know. Truly, you feel like your floating amongst the stars, looking down on this beautiful world. A heavenly experience.
Rating: 9/10
You Be Good, I Love You is out now via Ripcord Records, Dunk! Records and A Thousand Arms Music.
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