MUSIC REVIEW: MANSIONS ON THE MOON - 'LIGHTYEARS' EP

Something For The Weekend: A Free Download of Something Shoe-Gazing & Sublime

By: Seth Shellhouse

February 17, 2012

(Star Track) Mansions on the Moon is a band that seems to be building an exceptional degree of momentum with the release of their new EP and second official offering, Lightyears. Mansions on the Moon is an unmistakably talented act, but they are tough to put your finger on. There isn't a lot of information about them online, but a quick perusal of their releases on iTunes reveals that they own all of their own copyrights. So they can definitely be described as indie...whatever that means at this point. Their style is certainly LA, but I don't know them from around town. If I was watching them at The Satellite, I would swear that this band consisted of former members of Earlimart and The Mae Shi, but that's almost certainly untrue. I guess the best thing to say is that they are a diverse, indie, electropop act. And, that being the case, I'll try to describe the Lightyears EP in the way everything indie is described: via a barrage of name-checking comparisons.

I hate to use the term "lush" in describing music. I think the term is overused and non-technical. In this case, however, it is perfect. Mansions on the Moon presents lush arrangements of well-harmonized, catchy melodies.  Upon first listen, Lightyears will remind you of Deerhunter, or perhaps a less syncopated Toro Y Moi. Their sound is too upbeat and their harmonies too complex and electronic to be shoegaze. They play their instruments too skillfully and sing too professionally to get thrown in the chillwave bin, but we're getting warmer.

The arrangements on this EP are great. As for the synths, there's a lot of Arpeggiator going on, which, in the right hands, can find a beautiful wall of sound. If you (like me and everyone else) were obsessed with M83 last year, you'll definitely hear some similarities on the second number, "Leaves Fall," which has an unmistakable "Kim and Jessie" vibe going on. The arp. is a constant on this record, but the band finds ways to use the same tool as other acts without sounding exactly like them. The track "Athens" will immediately make you think of The Postal Service's "Such Great Heights" (digging way back in the Internet generation's memory banks) before taking off in an entirely different direction.

And this record is not just about stuffing the track with MicroKorg and hyper-reverby vocals. The track "Rest of Your Days" opens with a very warm, un-gated acoustic guitar and a hand drum loop. It sounds as raw and endearing as Pela's "7th and 17th," but incorporates some very nice vocal layering. Whereas other tracks on Lightyears incorporate densely layered, effect-heavy vocal harmonies, this number offers up some dry, beautiful, "Suite Judy Blue Eyes" unison. It's all very acoustic. Listen close enough and you'll hear the metronome.

As far as songwriting on Lightyears is concerned, it's very simple and instantly gratifying. And I guess the best way to describe it is by making what will certainly be the most surprising comparison I make in this entire review. We've been talking a lot about Chiddy Bang around the office this week, and it immediately struck me that the track "Desert Island" really sounds like a Chiddy Bang beat. So how catchy are the songs? They're hip-hop catchy. 

Regardless of what Mansions on the Moon is -- electropop, shoegaze, chillwave, indie-meets-alt. hip hop, or some new, unnamed amalgam -- it is good music. The Lightyears EP is available now as a free download on the band's website.

Standout Tracks: "Leaves Fall," "Athens," Take a Look"

For Fans Of: Deerhunter, M83, Sigur Ros