Recommended: I Just Came From The Moon – “Hoax”

There’s some people I take to immediately just because something about their gestures and tone and demeanor comes off as genuine.  It’s the kind of connection that earns an immediate benefit of the doubt, and over time, hopefully, that trust becomes better earned.  The debut from the quintet I Just Came From The Moon has got me thinking about those people in my life.  Hoax comes off as similarly genuine.  Every note feels like it’s well-meant and sources straight from the heart.  It’s in how “Wonderful Ryan” suddenly breaks into the blues and how “Munken” suddenly breaks into a smile and how the flash of claws on “Ugler I Mosen” doesn’t get in the way of some soulful warmth in the same breath.  The downcast tones of “Februar” don’t come off as a superficial grab for the heartstrings nor does the get-up-and-go excitement of “Med Rumraket Til Rund” sounds forced.

I’ve had this recording in my playlist for quite a little time now, and it has definitely backed up that first impression.  There is so much to like about this engaging album.  Melodies are crisp and clear, and the ensemble is just as talented at giving them new shape and form within the span of one song as they are with its introduction.  There’s a storybook feel to each song, in that way its tone and tenor transform by the end, yet not entirely changed from the opening notes.  And for each stroke of beauty, there’s an equal balance of edge, so nothing can be predicted and the anticipation never dies down.

Consider this album highly recommended, and don’t be surprised to hear more about it in the future.

Your album personnel:  Jonas Scheffler (trumpet), Nis Hellerøe Myrtue (tenor sax), Nikolaj Bugge (guitar), Tobias Andreasen (drums) and Frederik Hagner (bass).

Released on Jaeger Community.

Listen to more of the album on the artist’s Soundcloud page.

Music from Aarhus, Denmark.

Available at:  Amazon