The Soft Moon - Criminal (Sacred Bones) 2018
9
The Soft Moon’s Criminal is everything an experimental electronic album aspires to be. For every catchy, pop-seasoned moment, there are ten aggressive, confusing and beautifully jarring ones.
From the gritty, industrial “Choke” to the goth-rock tinged “The Pain,” every plausible idea is explored and executed to perfection. As a whole, the songs are cohesive rather than repetitive; there’s an entire story existing in the emotions that flow between tracks. The project’s sole member, Luis Vasquez, has grown immensely in the eight years since his self-titled release; this time around, he seems more extroverted and eager to stray from his previous material. Where vocals were once hidden under layers of synths and effects, they stand out on Criminal and are less of a distorted, background fixture.
Sacred Bones is home to many of the greatest minds in experimental music and Criminal proves to be yet another masterpiece in their library.