One of the real joys of being around the scene for so long is that I am still contacted by “new” bands who ask me if I would be interested in hearing some of their music, which is how I am now listening to the latest release by Seattle-based quintet Moon Letters. They were formed in 2016 by Dave Webb (guitar), Michael Trew (vocals, flute), Kelly Mynes (drums), Mike Murphy (bass, vocals) and John Allday (keyboards, vocals). Their debut album, ‘Until They Feel the Sun’, (which was produced by Barrett Jones, (Foo Fighters)), garnered positive reviews and their performance at Seaprog 2019 helped secure a spot at RoSfest 2020. It took a while for them to return with their second album, but now we have ‘Thankyou From The Future’, which this time was produced by Robert Cheek (Band of Horses).
It is as if the last 40 years has not happened, as we are firmly in the Seventies with some wonderful Mellotrons in the background, and a very retro feel indeed. They are the type of band where one can easily concentrate on just one aspect and then say that is the most important, as every person involved has such a major impact on the overall sound. I have seen them likened to early Spock’s Beard in some reviews, but for me that is more about using some of the same influences musically, yet having the togetherness and drama which makes ‘The Light’ so compelling. Gentle Giant are a huge influence, particularly with the vocals and the interplay, while Yes have also had their part to play, especially with the keyboards, but the guitar has more of a hard rock presence which takes them in a different direction to both.
It is an exciting and vibrant release, one which does not overstay its welcome with a total playing time of less than 42 minutes (so would happily fit on one side of a TDK-D90, as did all the best albums back in the day), and seven songs with nothing too short or overtly long. This is an immediate and compelling album which only gets better the more time it is played, and one can only hope they get the attention they deserve within the scene as this is a delight from beginning to end.
