Moon And Aries – Break The Matrix (Episode Three)

Music Reviews
Jer@SBS
February 10, 2023
0

Moon And Aries – Break The Matrix (Episode Three) – EP Review

Ayyyy there we go – the stunning conclusion has arrived – Break The Matrix (Episode Three) has officially arrived. These two have been working hard at what they’ve been creating, and it’s awesome to see & hear them follow through on this visionary concept that began in 2022. Tom Aries and Jordana Moon have put out a remarkable amount of music over the past 365 or so…it hasn’t even been that long if my math is correct…technically, they’re still on the inside of their debut year. They should be proud of their accomplishments, and the rest of you out there should be jealous of the fact they’ve been outworkin’ ya. They’d be tough to keep up to, but you can see from their pages online that the inspiration to create art & music has taken hold, and the results are genuinely crystal clear. Input = output…art inspires art.

Right from the get-go, I felt like Moon And Aries would be revealing some of their best on this third installment of their Break The Matrix trilogy – I could see it in the writing & the lyrics of the EP’s opening track “Illumination Society” even before I actually heard it. For myself personally, it instantly reminded me of watching A Glitch In The Matrix for the first time, and how that movie detailed in real-time how it was going to wake me up in ways I’d never be able to go back from, which remains to be true even now. The aim of Moon And Aries has been very much the same in that regard…they’ve been on a mission to awaken you from your slumber and reveal how there could be a whole lot more to life than this valley of malls we’ve created. It’s certainly comforting as a concept…and you’ll find no objections from me – I fully salute these two for breaking through the plasticity of this planet to offer us all a glimpse of something more real…we need it. “Illumination Society” is freakin’ fantastic if you ask me – not only does it sound stellar and easily rank with the best I’ve ever heard from this duo, but conceptually, they’ve really found the right conclusion to the storyline they’ve been building with their music this entire time. Jordana is otherworldly good in this song…the sound of someone finding the place they’ve always been meant to find…for her, it’s the arrival at the destination of her destiny…the intersection between what has meant something important to her, and what will mean something important to you. All-in-all, I’m going with “Illumination Society” as THE song of the set this time around…I think the other two to follow are really well done and reveal the professionalism we know exists in this duo through and through, but if we’re talking about accessible vibes and undeniable allure, then “I’m committed” to my choice here – track one is absolutely awesome, and truly a display of award worthy writing from the music to the microphone. Tom’s outdone himself once again with this beat and how it bubbles and moves with such impressive fluidity, and Jordana stepped right up to the plate to knock this one straight outta the ballpark into the field of the future. Definitely one of my favorites in their catalog to-date.

“Never For Me” is another technically flawless tune as well. I’m probably more partial to the two bookends of this EP with tracks one & three being my favorites of the set, but you won’t find any arguments from me about the execution in what they create. Jordana adds in a real soulful sound to the depth & dimensions of her performance on this track, and has some significant highlights that reveal the heights of her range as she sings as well. While I’d readily concede that repetition works both for and against them a bit on this particular track, the hook is memorable and there’s no disputing that at all. In the context of such a weighted concept, to me, it’s crucial that you use the space to really bring that to life in a way that everyone ‘gets it’ – and in that regard, there were plenty of opportunities for her to have added a few more words into this track rather than revert to repetition…but don’t mistake my observations for any kind of complaint. I would put “Never For Me” closer to what I’d have expected to find from Moon And Aries, whereas I think the other two surrounding tracks break a bit more ground in terms of their creativity, this particular cut seems much more like a logical evolution and conclusion we could draw to if you’ve been listening intently since day one. Don’t get it twisted – there’s something to be said for that too…the more we’ve listened to Moon And Aries, the more they’ve dialed-in to their sound and the depths of their ideas…”Never For Me” is a perfect example of that, and how well they execute on their ambitions & ideas. I think of all things for me about this song, I ended up appreciating the details outside of the lead elements the most & how Jordana’s backing vocals really stole the show. She really is an outright exceptional singer…part of me wants to advise she takes those outstanding vocal highlights from the background and put’em right up from in the lead and to be every bit confident about doing that…and the other part of me recognizes that this approach she’s taken in that regard is one that’s been working for music and singers for years too. I’m always of two minds about it…I think when you’ve got the potential to be a complete show-stopper like Moon does, we tend to relegate that to the background in order for the rest of a song to be heard…but that being said, when it’s what you end up continually noticing as a song’s strongest element, then you’re really dealing with the lead hook, and you want that to fill the brightest parts of the spotlight. The real bottom line though, is that they’ve got another high-quality cut here to add to their catalog…I don’t think it quite rivals this EP’s opening, but I do think they definitely created their strongest set across the board in considering all three songs.

In a couple ways, “From Another Dimension” is potentially the most universal and accessible track of the set this time around…or will be at least to some listeners out there. In my opinion, I think “Illumination Society” is still the most balanced and well-rounded track of Break The Matrix (Episode Three) without a doubt, and I’m not always as convinced the “watching and waiting” hook of “From Another Dimension” keeps up to the universal vibes of the rest of this track if I’m being honest with ya. I do like it still…every piece of it really…but yeah…they also create a kind of a push/pull energy in that moment where you can almost feel like the song is calling for something more go with the flow, make sense? I do like that they’re trying different things on this final cut…I like the way Jordan’s whispered hooks work, and I feel like the music has a ton of energy & hooks that are sure to impress the people out there. It’s probably the cut where Tom’s contributions shine the brightest, outside of “Illumination Society” of course, where they both shine together in unison most of all. All that being said, “From Another Dimension” has the distinct advantage of possessing a beat that’s found a lot more within the Electro-based realm, giving this last track a relevant vibe that’s present at all times…and it never hurts to have that when it comes to the art of making music. There’s a bit of extra familiarity in the way a track like “From Another Dimension” works in comparison to the rest and how they do their own thing a lot more in the opening two tracks, but just because it’s closer to something we’ve experienced along the way in the vast galaxy of music’s history doesn’t mean it’s not welcome when it’s as well done as Moon And Aries do it. From what I gather, now that they’ve wrapped up this last part of their trilogy, they’re adding them all together for a full album release this April…and we’ll see what they choose to do with it when they do, and/or whether or not the story is really over. Let’s not forget, The Matrix also figured it was finished at the third chapter of its trilogy, until they figured out a fourth, and left the world cheering for even more. These two do what they do very well; no matter what they choose to do in the future, they’ve got one.