Moonface – With Siinai: Heartbreaking Bravery

Initially, Moonface seemed to possess its own niche in Spencer Krug’s ever-proliferating portfolio: single-track debut Dreamland offering up “marimba and shit-drums” in its sub-title and contents, while follow-up Organ Music Not Vibraphone Like I’d Hoped was, as hinted, almost wholly keys-based. Neither Ronseal-monikered, nor premised on select instrumentation, the third Moonface release breaks this nascent pattern, though its title nonetheless sets some pretty accurate parameters: lyrically, Heartbreaking Bravery sees Krug in part sorrowful, part defiant moods.

“All the stars are dying” he croons through Yesterday’s Fire’s glum-glam Bowie-isms, while elsewhere darker tales stalk (“There was blood, there was gore… There was some ugly shit in store” goes Headed for the Door). While the lyrics are all Krug’s own, the music is a collaboration with Finnish act Siinai, and their slow-burn style nicely counterpoints their temporary band leader’s more baroque tendencies, resulting in some of Krug’s most satisfyingly direct material to date.