We Landed on the Moon
(self-released)
Releasing their second album, We Landed on the Moon seem to be finding their musical niche. With Melissa Eccles's lead vocals, the group has a throwback sound. Almost as if Blondie had ever sung indie rock songs; then, she would have fit in perfectly with We Landed on the Moon. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Feist also come to mind while listening to this sophomore effort.
These Little Wars begins with "Solitaire," a fun piece of power pop with an odd title but great dance beats. "The Night was Open" proves that meaningful lyrics also accompany the bouncy tunes, and Eccles's high register is a nice thing to focus on, singing lines like "the night was full of stars - take what wasn't ours." "Vietcong" also showed the deep side to poppy music, but clocking in as one of the shortest tracks, this one didn't mix the solemn subject with the beats as seamlessly as others.
The poetic story of a pack rat finds a hauntingly harmonized ending with "Washing for Weeks," a great little song that Eccles has fun singing and the rest of the group seems to enjoy performing. Every album needs a token break-up song too, and this one has the clever title: "Re: Your Letter" (which, for those of you currently living under a rock, spoofs the subject line of e-mail responses).The group also twists the idea of a fairy tale in a modern look at Cinderella with "Mirror, Mirror" ("running fast, leaving my shoes with my hands reached out").
A hint of Irish band the Cranberries also presents itself throughout the album as We Landed on the Moon give eleven solid tracks of immediate dance music with a deeper meaning underneath the guitar and synthesizer.
Standout Tracks: "The Night Was Open," "Re: Your Letter," "Mirror, Mirror" MANDY RODGERS
