Moon And Aries – BREAK THE MATRIX (Episode One)

Music Reviews
Jer@SBS
September 13, 2022
0

Moon And Aries – BREAK THE MATRIX (Episode One) – EP Review

I know I’ve said this a few times lately, but it’s amazing how little time has actually passed, yet how it feels like an entire lifetime has gone by this year. Like – I remember the name & music of Moon And Aries…but if you’d have asked me when it was that I was checking them out last, I probably would have said somewhere in the realm of like, 2-3 years ago? As it turns out, it was just back in April this very year, here in 2022! Time gets all kinds of distorted when you move straight across an entire country like we did this summer I guess…I’ll have to start thinking in terms of pre/post-Ottawa now that I’m back in BC where I belong.

Anyhow! Yes…it’s good to have Moon And Aries back in action and on our pages once again. From the looks of things, they’ve kept plenty busy in their breakout year. We first learned about Tom Aries and Jordana Moon from their single/video for “The Arrival” back in April as I mentioned…incidentally, that same song went on to spawn a lineup of tunes for a full album of which it shares a title with – AND…these two Trip-Hoppers also put out a new EP called “Paradise” and single called “Take Me Home” ALL in this year of 2022 as well, and none of which ended up being on their new BREAK THE MATRIX (Episode One) EP. Side-note…what’s goin’ on with this music-scene of ours and the ALL-CAPS thing lately anyhow? Y’all know that if we ALL do it, we may as well just return to normal size fonts right? Okay…good…we’re on the same page then. Anyway – you get the point, Tom and Jordana have had a productive year already…it’s always great to see/hear artists like these two step outta the gate with material in-hand & ready to roll…it’s great confirmation that the inspiration & passion is there to fuel the next steps to follow, know what I mean? Moon And Aries are invested in what they do – you gotta dig that. Which makes sense too really…you’ve got our homie Jordana coming from the west in Canada, and Tom from the west of Germany…they might have the compass facing the same direction, yes – but that’s a LONG distance between’em to say the least – and on the bright side, obviously they’re using every minute of the time that they end up connecting.

As “Closer And Closer” begins with its digitally dark sparkle via the production of Aries, it’s not long at all before he’s joined by the gliding, graceful & soulful sound of Moon’s vocals in the mix. Individually, they both put in a great performance, and it stacks up strong to represent what they can do together on an artistic level. “Closer And Closer” has that inherently fascinating type of vibe to it…a bit on the theatrical side of sound perhaps…not too much, just a hint of it…and yeah man…it’s like…arguably more art than it even is music when it comes right down to it. Which can be a great thing too…it just depends on what the goals are. Everything is well-played and very well performed – the music is sensationally produced with an innovative design and subtle mix of mystery to it, and Jordana’s put in a noteworthy turn on the mic once again to give “Closer And Closer” that extra something special…the X-factor, if you will. Where I think a track like this could potentially run into a few issues is in determining whether or not it’s more than accessible, but memorable as well…and truthfully, I’m not entirely sure. They do have hooks to be found in this first song…and they fit, they work, they’re executed in the right way…I’m just trying to figure out if they’re strong enough to be remembered is all. Right now I feel like I’m leaning towards “Closer And Closer” being a song that’s always going to be welcomed back on your playlists, even if you don’t remember WHY over time…chances are, you’ll remember you liked it enough to give it another spin. I suppose what I’m getting at is that, YES – a tight song, well-produced and well-performed is ALWAYS going to be something to be proud of as an achievement…but YES…this duo still has more room to grow and evolve in their craft when it comes to making material that we’re never going to forget. As it stands right now, I like “Closer And Closer” but I’d be worried about them getting lost in a playlist with the rest of what’s out there in Trip Hop right now, and I’m wondering if they stand out enough, or not.

There’s great consistency in what they do together though, and that definitely counts for something too. Like…don’t get me wrong – Trip Hop isn’t really stocked full of what we typically define hooks to be in terms of what’s on the radio or written into Pop songs…the hooks very well can be, and often are, the art found within the material. Which is why the genre’s still got a fairly niche audience by comparison to many of the others…it’s fair to say that it’s a narrower slice of listeners out there in this world that are looking to listen to art as opposed to songs they can easily sing along with. “The In Between” might end up straddling the line between those realms a bit more successfully than “Closer And Closer” did – but we’d be splitting hairs…I’m talking marginally overall. So like I said, we’re talkin’ about consistency more than anything else here…and yes, that can be a good and/or great thing too. There’s a ton of depth in a song like “The In Between” when it comes to what Moon is singing about, and the stylistically sleek way that she sings is always going to be a huge hit with a whole bunch of listeners out there. Again, I’m not knocking anything at all when it comes to performance or their execution, individually, or combined – Moon And Aries do what they do really well, and I don’t think anyone could really claim otherwise. What I’m challenging them on is whether or not they’ve quite done enough in terms of giving everyone that undeniable reason to return, know what I mean? They DO make a decent case…no doubt about that…but it’s still a case that needs to be made…or ours NEED convincing. A spin or two might get you to concede that they’ve got a good thing going on for sure…but it’s harder to say whether or not they’re going to have people ranting and raving about this lineup on BREAK THE MATRIX (Episode One) in a way that expresses a NEED to listen to this record again immediately, as opposed to merely wanting to hear it again someday – make sense? There are lots of positives to build on…like…for a duo that’s only been releasing music professionally for under a year at this point, they’re remarkably flawless when it comes time to push record…you couldn’t ask anything else from them when it comes to their execution. Obviously, that’s a great thing…but if that alone doesn’t have you coming back for a second and third helping right away, then we’re left to ask WHY, right? The only answer left would be the material itself. For me, what I’m hearing on BREAK THE MATRIX (Episode One) is good…but deep down, I also know that what Jordana and Tom are capable of creating together has all the potential in the world to be GREAT. I can’t stress this enough – performance-wise, they already are…now they just need the strength of their material to rise up to the level of their talents and ambitions, and they’ll be all set for world domination.

I’m assuming that’s Tom on the mic taking on the lead duties of this EP’s final cut, called “Losing Control.” Dude sounds really good y’all…obviously we don’t wanna squeeze Jordana out of her spot as the main singer in this duo, but they should be really proud of how this last track came out so strong. I’ll admit, I wasn’t really sure what was gonna happen or how this was gonna turn out…I’m so used to the Moon part of Moon And Aries handling the vocals, that when Tom got on the mic, I thought this could potentially go either way. Honestly, I think he should be encouraged to take on the lead every so often if these are the kind of results we end up with – not just because he does a great job, but also because Jordana plays the complementary role perfectly to support him as well. She’s freed up a bit more to use her voice through vocalizations and backup Tom…ultimately, it’s a different set of demands made on a singer in this kind of role, and she proves beyond the shadow of a doubt that she’s just as enchanting & mesmerizing outside of the lead as she is within it. I don’t know that I’d go as far as to say Tom steals the show, but he is definitely the surprise factor in this particular tune…he more than holds his own and sounds great…no doubt about that – and there’s still no doubt that Jordana’s role as the lead singer in this duo of Moon And Aries is completely safe. What’s fair to say I think…at least in my opinion…is that “Losing Control” ended up being the most memorable of the three in the lineup this time around. That could very well be the strength of the material…which I personally think it is…that could the accessibility of the hooks, which has increased here on this final tune…and it could also be the surprise factor of having Tom take the starring role this time around…or it could completely be a combination of all of these things…or the stunningly ethereal vibes of Jordana’s backing vocals.

Whatever the reason, or reasons might be for you…it could be one of the ones I’ve given ya, or one of your own – there’s plenty of things to like & love about this duo when it comes right down to it. All I know is that I felt like they went out on their strongest song at the end of this new three-song EP. Consistency-wise, they’re honestly crushing it…almost to a detrimental point…we might need a few more highs & lows from Moon And Aries to be able to accurately judge what the full strength of their dynamics could bring to their music…a bit more of that pulse & passion on display to get the excitement flowing…right now, all-in-all, BREAK THE MATRIX (Episode One) is pretty darn even straight across the board. Performing as flawlessly as they do is no small achievement though – especially for how long they’ve been playing together – but I’m tellin’ ya there’s still a full level beyond the one they’re reaching right now…and that no matter how good you think Moon And Aries are at the moment, they’ll go on to put out tunes that’ll blow your mind in the future to follow & give everyone multiple reasons to return to their music, 100%. They’ve got big things planned…so don’t be surprised if they go on to prove me right almost instantly – BREAK THE MATRIX (Episode One) is the first of three EPs with three songs each on’em…so stay tuned!