Dotsun Moon are masters of understanding and restraint, knowing when to embrace minimalism while also realizing when the time is right to let the roof fall. Their self proclaimed label— dream beat/noir — couldn’t be more accurate. Fans of Portishead, Massive Attack, and Cocteau Twins should take note.
With a sound that's somewhat of a throwback to 90's shoe-gaze, trip hop but without sounding the least bit dated, fans of Portishead, Morcheeba and Massive Attack will more than likely enjoy Dotsun Moon's musical sensibilities.
The band has labeled their music as “dream beat”. I don’t think I could think of a better description even if my life depended on it. I love Mary Ognibene’s voice. She can make the little hairs on the back of your neck stand straight up one minute and put you in a trance the next. “Heed The Warning” is the track on the album, or at least it’s the standout track that won me over. It’s like she’s whispering the lyrics in your ear. Check out the video on their website as well. Another cool track is their cover of Bo Diddley’s 1957 single “Who Do You Love?”. Mary doesn’t sing lead on this one, not sure who’s singing to be honest, but it has a real nice Love and Rockets / Bauhaus feel to it. No shave and a haircut two bits beat here, unless it’s been stripped down to its minimal frame, but a very cool version all the same.
It’s pretty safe to say that Dotsun Moon has won over a new fan of their “dream beat” music.
’Heed The Warning’ is groovy and sensual, ‘Westwind To The Boulevard’ is a decent New Order impression. ‘Glory’ is soulful and yearning whilst ‘Forever Tied’ is epic and defiant.
Several of the album’s slower paced offerings invite the listener to sway his or her head from side to side, eyes closed, taking in the soft sounds. 'Who Do You Love' stands apart as an interesting experiment that is a welcome shift in tempo, much like a good cover of a well loved classic and the instrumental 'Pedals' has a warm hearted tone.
This Buffalo, NY foursome’s groovy, sometimes trippy and dreamy electronic music has been compared with Massive Attack and Portishead (I hear bits of New Order as well), and those comparisons prove fitting on this debut. Although they don’t use a real drummer, the band compensates thanks to the continuously engrossing and multifaceted synths of Rami Abu-Sitta, the hard-edged guitar and percussive beats of founder Rich Flierl, and the deep, throbbing basslines of Brian Templeton. But Dotsun Moon’s secret weapon is the soulful and authoritative voice of Mary Ognibene. On tracks such as the breathy, skipping opener, “And I Rest,” the riveting , floor-thumping standout “Savages,” and the languid “Glory,” her powerhouse pipes repeatedly amaze. Though well suited for dance club PAs, 4am is also varied and intriguing enough for intent home listening (dotsunmoon.com).
Esoteric, often dreamy, always intriguing art-pop with trip-hop and new wave underpinnings. Dotsun Moon is to our city what Roxy Music was to London, circa 1974. You’ll dig it if you like: Bill Laswell, Unkle, Massive Attack, New Order, Joy Division, Trans Am, Portishead, Morcheeba, Supreme Beings of Leisure, side two of David Bowie’s Low.
[Their cd] is a '4 am' type of music, the time when you're a bit tired, slightly (or very much) drunk, slightly (or very much) in love with the person next to you and want to hear something that won't interfere with your meaningful (or not so much) conversation but that you would actually listen to if you're somehow are excluded from that conversation. The music that will try to keep you going at that late hour but that isn't aggressive melodically or excessively metaphysical lyrically.
Mary Ognibene’s understated, sultry delivery hits me right between the eyes. Musically, Rich Flierl (keys, guitars, and the primary songwriter) conjures a smoky, minimalist economy of sound that feels quite polished despite its sparseness.
