CELESTIAL DISCOURSE: MOONDOGS’ “TRIALOGUES”
Graphic by Izzie Claudio | Photography by Ari Mei-Dan
by ari mei-dan
Moondogs, a Burlington Vermont-based psychedelic rock band, has wowed the world with another hallucinogenic and exhilarating album, Trialogues. Consisting of Will Sturcke on vocals and guitar, David Battit on bass, and Jimmy Martucci on drums, the band’s newest album is a true dialogue between these three musicians.
Trialogues begins with “Hideaway,” a story following an almost dreamlike trance of watching a life ebb and flow in its course. There is a yearning for freedom, a hope that friends won’t be “scattered by the wind” and that newfound goodness will never change. The music itself feels like a raging story of its own, a heavy and distorted guitar paired with a weaving bass and sturdy drum beats. Quickly the tune sets the tone for the rest of the album: we are about to be immersed in a world of compelling tales and substantial instrumentation. There is no turning back now.
The album continues with reflections on the chaos of living in the real world – songs like “Sweet Tooth” ponder relationships with people and emotions of the past while “Gemini” follows the anxiety about inevitable bad news and the constant thirst for peace. Much of the songs on the album could be described as music-children of 1970s Rolling Stones, early Janis Joplin, and Young Americans-era David Bowie. Between lyrical tunes and instrumental songs, there remains a dance between Sturcke’s guitar and Battit’s bass supplemented by Martucci’s powerful drumming.
“Sidewinder,” the second single and likely my favourite song off of the album, is worth highlighting. A distorted guitar complements a clean bass while the drums provide a dance-worthy but perfectly supportive beat. It’s the type of song played in a Fight Club meets Ocean’s 11 movie–that scene right before the climax action, high stakes and soaring adrenaline, characters preparing for a fight. It is filled with captivating melodies and action-packed movement.
Also worthy of a mention is “Cosmic Serpent.” This song easily wins a danceability rate of 10/10, a tune led by heavy and sublime drums along with ultra-dreamy guitars. The type of song that you would hear in a trippy, hallucinatory dream. Paired with “Carousel” and we are suddenly in the perfect state of mind. “Carousel” is the type of song that wants to spin you around to old radio stations and drink sophisticated beers–regardless of the sorrowful lyrics. This rock ballad will make anyone fall in love with the rock trio. The singing of “you’re all stars now, honey / your eyes are rolling back” moving into “gentle sweetness, shake the skies / eerie death looms behind” perfectly encapsulates how love can taint such serious situations.
Finishing off with “Jet Dog” leaves us in a hazy cloud. Sturcke serenades us with lyrics that look back on old feelings and memories that seep back into the daily life: “Superstition, paranoia / my old imaginary friends / I thought we’d grown apart but here we are again.” The lyrics reflect on feelings that are not only here again, but accompany him in memories that were once so sweet and so independent. Guitar riffs that became so familiar to the listener throughout the album calm us down and bring us back to a softer reality.
Trialogues is certainly a timeless album, bringing in considerable influences from 1970s psychedelic rock, but turning it into something incredibly ethereal and modern. Sturcke’s guitar and Battit’s bass complement each other perfectly, while Martucci’s drums lead without stepping over any toes. In the span of 49 minutes, we are transported into a cosmic plane that fights with the expectations of storytelling in song. This is not an album to miss.
