Moon Duo – Mazes

Thanks to two well-received EPs and the success of guitarist Ripley Johnson’s other band Wooden Shjips , there are some pretty cut-and-dry preconceptions as to how Moon Duo’s debut album would pan out, but there’s still enough in its 45 minutes to surprise even the most devoted of followers.

It’s the output of two individuals who are not only considerably more relaxed, but also of a couple who are in a state of transition, a constant air of movement and progression evident from Ripley’s lazily advancing solos and Sanae Yamada’s eccentric organ meanderings. One thing that has remained intact from those earlier recordings is their well-established San Franciscan vibe, with Fallout propelling onwards with the kind of unhurried nonchalance that only SF could have birthed, coupled with the righteous abuse of sustain and distortion. It’d be simple to call Mazes a nostalgia trip, but fairer to call it a trip and leave it at that. [David Bowes]