The Soft Moon – Deeper – Album Review by Killian Laher

The Soft Moon is a project dreamed up by the disturbed brain of Luis Vazquez. On the evidence of these eleven one-word-titled tracks on his third album he has a way with a sinister atmosphere. Some of these, such as Wrong and Black are simply that, a load of darkness and little else, but the bass-propelled Far is an improvement. It, and many other tracks here surround themselves with a fairly dated, eighties dark sound. Proceedings get very goth as tracks like Wasting plumb the murky depths, like a cross between the Sisters of Mercy and Tears for Fears.

The simply-named Try is one of the better tracks here, a simple guitar line anchored to a low-slung rhythm section chugs along pleasingly as Vazquez allows a chink of emotion through cracks in the oppressive darkness. Later, Without has something of the imperiousness of mid period Depeche Mode. However these are in the minority, apart from them too many standard-issue angsty tracks like Desertion and the title track do little to hold the attention, though suitably dark guitars spruce up Feel and Being. So an album for sitting in a solitary dark room, which was probably how it was made.

Track List –

1. Inward
2. Black
3. Far
4. Wasting
5. Wrong
6. Try
7. Desertion
8. Without
9. Feel
10. Deeper
11. Being