Moon Is Doom Backwards by Sly & the Family Drone

The harsh, cynical darkness of noir comes to life on Moon Is Doom Backwards by Sly & the Family Drone, an album that tersely and detachedly creates and reacts to a shadowy sonic space before diving head-first into the emotion which this space was designed to sequester. Low, distant, rumbling sounds dominate the record, often emanating from no discernible instrument as lonely saxophone riffs expand into the abyss above. Gradually, swells of eclectic percussion guide the band to noisy, chaotic catharsis, splattering the supposedly cavernous, impenetrably dark space with genuine passion, overcoming cynicism with raw, unadulterated emotional authenticity. Though these outbursts may reveal this noir space as artificially constrictive and emotionally unavailable, none of this chaotic energy fully overcomes the space to provide an escape. Even as we lean into genuine self-expression, the crushing, confusing layers of cultural cynicism will suffocate us until we return to a cool, composed, brooding hum.