Moon Room is strange and exciting experimental pop

to Obvious reasonsThe moon has been on my mind all week. So I’ve been trying to figure out what I should recommend this week that fits with the theme. Brian Eno Apollo: Atmosphere and soundtrack Incredible, and if you haven’t listened to it, do so now. But it also seems a little on the nose. Radiohead Moon-shaped pool It also comes to mind. But it also seemed a bit obvious. Then I remembered Kate NV A room for the moonIt is a record she repeated in 2020.

Russian artist Kate Shilonosova chases thoughts across 11 tracks Inspired by Russian and Japanese pop music From the seventies and eighties, in addition to children’s films. This obviously leads A room for the moon To indulge her most bizarre urges. It’s a fantasy story presented with Talking Heads-like bass, synths, and reverberating drum machines.

Opener “Not Not Not” is almost goofy, with its chaotic melodies constantly dancing around each other in a way that is always disorienting. It surges forward asymmetrically, swinging like a flat tire. The instrumental “Da Na” is followed by a set of sounds that are familiar but a little strange. The clarinet(?) drifts in and out of dissonance as if drunk. Controlled percussion elements fly around what could be a file Kenari seed shell shaker Or someone runs their fingers over the teeth of a comb. It’s really impossible to know, and both seem as likely as the other.

“Sayonara (Full Moon Version)” is the daydream fantasy counterpart to Oingo Boingo’s nightmarish new wave revue. Perhaps the least strange track of all is “Plans,” which fully embraces the aesthetics of ’80s dance-pop. But even that song finds room for a minute-long piece of music featuring a saxophone solo.

While the vocals are strange, turbulent and sometimes turbulent, the songs are light and imaginative. Despite not understanding the words, most of which are in Russian, it is impossible not to feel hopeful from them. Kate Nevada A room for the moon Not a sad moon lullaby, but sweet dreams of an innocent mind.