As I write this it is still a week until release date, and the band have already sold 40% of the vinyl they had pressed for this their third album, which is great going for an independent outfit. Moon X are of course Jerry King (guitar, bass, trombone), Dave Newhouse (keyboards, woodwind) and George Newhouse (drums and percussion), with arguably the fourth member being the person who undertook the mixing and mastering, Ian Beabout, who works closely with these guys on multiple projects.
Both Jerry and Dave have been very active in the scene since the Seventies, with the former probably best known for Cloud Over Jupiter and his recordings with John Shirley, while Dave of course is from The Muffins and Manna/Mirage. They often play on each other’s projects, and this is the second release as Moon X, following on from 2023’s ‘Zap!’ and ‘The New Prometheus’, while the band themselves were formed after the demise of Moon Men, which featured both Dave and Jerry.
The delight of this album is that the guys feel no need to restrict themselves to any particular style or genre, and while this is always progressive or jazz-oriented, each song is very different to the next, and looking at the sleeve notes they reference bands as diverse as Yes, Tangerine Dream and Joy Division! George has of course grown up listening to the music played by his dad so consequently fully understands what they are looking for in a drummer, while Jerry and Dave have that knowledge which only comes from countless thousands of hours both playing and listening to music. The result is something which is off-centre, sometimes led by brass, sometimes woodwind, sometimes keyboards, sometimes guitar, one never knows what one is going to get. They can be symphonic and gentle, or harsh and almost discordant. Both are fans of going where the music takes them, but this is not something which is improvised and off the wall but rather is thoughtful with care taken on the arrangements.
The guys inherently seem to know when a track needs something, and also when not to add extra elements which is a skill in itself, while Ian works very closely with them to ensure their vision is met. This is not an easy listening album, but in many ways is easy to listen to as each song is fluid and flows just as it needs to. It is interesting to read the sleeve notes while playing this as Dave and Jerry both share their thoughts on exactly what they were thinking when composing and working on the material, and for a geek like me it definitely adds to the overall experience. Both have been around the scene for more than 50 years but are showing no sign at all of slowing down yet and are still showing youngsters a trick or two with yet another delightful album. There is a limited run of both vinyl and CDs so get to their site before they run out. 8/10
By Kev Rowland
