Day 1: Moon Sugar by Tang // 8
Moon Sugar by TANG
For my first song for this project, I'm listening to a song by small trio consisting of a guitarist, a bassist, and a drummer. I'm not too knowledgeable about the genre itself (I've dabbled!), but I get the feeling that many bands follow this same kind of structure. I discovered them after following Spirit Vision Records, which is the label that Strawberry Girls is under.
The song itself has sections that are clearly meant to contrast each other, and I think it adds a lot of complexity and flavor to the piece. It's totally subject to opinion, but my favorite section is definitely the end (starts around 4:04), where the tempo picks up. Something about the whole groove feels very grounded and heavy, yet it all feels anticlimactic. Within the context of the song, the end section packs the most energy, especially considering the lighter and feathery touch of the previous sections, and yet I feel like it wasn't resolved. Maybe this is just how math rock is supposed to be, unconventional for its own sake?
Coming from a percussion background, I am all for seeing a more compositional approach to drumming, as is the case with this song. Of course, the drummer provides a backbeat to anchor the rhythm, but more often than not, it seems that the drummer is accompanying the melody in terms of the actual song itself, providing weight to important melodic licks, delivering a more interpretive feel, and adopting a role more akin to a concert percussionist.
Overall, I love that "Moon Sugar" delivers a diversity of sounds, from fleeting atmospheric chords to groovy, hard-hitting riffs and lines. Moreover, the guitarists themselves incorporate various techniques to further add to the palette. My only nitpick is that the bassist should smile more, because it definitely sounds like a lot of fun to play!
Rating: 8/10
Coming from a percussion background, I am all for seeing a more compositional approach to drumming, as is the case with this song. Of course, the drummer provides a backbeat to anchor the rhythm, but more often than not, it seems that the drummer is accompanying the melody in terms of the actual song itself, providing weight to important melodic licks, delivering a more interpretive feel, and adopting a role more akin to a concert percussionist.
Overall, I love that "Moon Sugar" delivers a diversity of sounds, from fleeting atmospheric chords to groovy, hard-hitting riffs and lines. Moreover, the guitarists themselves incorporate various techniques to further add to the palette. My only nitpick is that the bassist should smile more, because it definitely sounds like a lot of fun to play!
Rating: 8/10
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