It must be said that I wasn’t the world’s biggest fan of Dušan’s last release, 2013’s ‘Am I Walking Wrong’, and I think it was probably the first time I had ever given a Moonjune album a poor review, but I just didn’t get it. So, when this arrived in the post one day I wasn’t immediately over-enamoured, but I opened the digipak and realised that the drummer was none other than Asaf Sirkis, someone whose work I highly admire. The line-up was completed by Vasil Hadzimanov on acoustic piano, Fender Rhodes electric piano and Mini Moog bass, and I was immediately intrigued. Further investigation led to the discovery that the album was recorded in just two days last February, and knowing that they had toured together in different incarnations, as opposed to being put together for a studio project, made me think that this could be quite a special album indeed.
I put aside any preconceived ideas, and as soon as the first notes came out of the speakers I was transfixed. Here were wonderful guitar lines, perfectly accompanied by different keyboards with both lightness and strong bottom end, and then there was Asaf who was playing as if he was the lead player in the band. There are many times during this album where Vasil is valiantly managing to keep it all together, as both Dušan and Asaf attempt to be the main in charge. This is simply a wonderful album, full not only of wonderful melodies but great interplay between all those involved. Ideas bounce between the trio, and there are so many thing son here to enjoy, from brightness and sparks to reflective and delicate, such as on the emotional “Yo Sin Mi”. Dušan’s guitarwork is exemplary throughout, as he switches styles and tones, yet there is always clarity and finesse. This is not a guitarist who feels the need to prove his skills by playing five thousand notes to the bar, but instead shows it every time he uses sustain.
This is one of the most interesting and enjoyable instrumental albums I’ve come across in 2017.
