Chicago singer-songwriter Mark Lofgren, a founding member of the bands The Luck of Eden Hall and The Thin Cherries, released the third Black Moon Book album, Black Moon Book 3, on May 3.
The album was recorded at Lofgren’s home studio and mastered by Mike Hagler at Kingsize SoundLabs. Most of the songs on Black Moon Book 3 are built around acoustic guitars and vocals and utilize several different analog keyboard patches through a mini-Moog plug-in and other vintage synths and piano settings with various effects to achieve a dreamlike vibe from track to track.
The drums on Black Moon Book 3 are a mix of old Roland drum machines (played on a midi keyboard) and Logic Pro AI drummers, building a “custom kit” that lays a foundation for Mark’s sweet ‘bedroom pop’ confections.
Black Moon Book 3 opens with “The Girl Who Broke Apart,” Lofgren’s vocals barely a whisper over simple piano and strummed acoustic guitar, and first single “Ne’er Do Wells,” which pits lyrics about the ups and downs of living in a big city against a pastoral soundscape that recalls the 80’s college radio sounds of bands like Game Theory, That Petrol Emotion, and The Lilac Time.
“Town Between Towns,” which features Mark’s Thin Cherries band mate Steven Delisi on guitar, is, perhaps, the album’s purest distillation of what Lofgren set out to do with this release as warm vocals float over cool new wave synths to great effect while the cryptically titled “Get Out Or We’ll Stay” recalls the late Elliot Smith.
“Perennials” is the closest that Black Moon Book 3 comes to a full-band sound while “The End of the Novel in Your Head” recalls Lofgren’s past work with The Luck of Eden Hall.
“Ocean Drive” shares some musical DNA with “Perennials” as it could easily be replicated live by a four-piece band while “Zoom” takes the opposite approach: it stands fine on its own but could be developed into an orchestral pop piece with the accompaniment of a string section.
As Black Moon Book 3 draws to a close, the track “Luci” showcases Lofgren’s skill as a guitarist as well as his knack for hushed vocal hooks. “Glass Half Full,” which again features Delisi (this time on harmonica and keys) and adds Derek Wu of the band Brother Derek on cello, is a gauzy psychedelic tune that recalls the indie rock group Grandaddy. The album closing “Day Drinking” is a buzzed snapshot of the temporary consolation that both midday cocktails and sad song lyrics can offer: “Someone turn off the sunshine” is lush poetry, indeed.
