Moon Walker - Wasteland Country
“You might not be next,
But your day is gonna come.”
Brooklyn-based indie rock musician Moon Walker has been committed throughout his discography so far to reoccurring social commentary on themes of war, imperialism, faith, capitalism and more. This is also the case on his upcoming fifth album, Wasteland Country, releasing independently on May 1st.
The album is a very cohesive body of work, with a distinct sonic connection between the tracks; there’s even a specific recurring musical motif that comes back several times on the record. This allows the album to feel like a whole, well-constructed experience, helping it be more engaging. The instrumentals are dark, grungy and haunting, with some really menacing moments at times on songs such as the title track “Wasteland Country” or “Parade”. The sound of the project is brash, in-your-face and unapologetic, and purposely harsh at points. This is compelling in some cases, but isn’t quite executed right to fully work across the board.
The main issue is the vocal processing. The vocals are made to purposely sound extremely filtered, buzzing and rough, in order to fit with the overall mood and the production of the tracks themselves. However, while on separate tracks, such as the highlight single “You’re Next”, where the processing is a little less abrasive, this makes Moon Walker stand out and is actually quite compelling, an entire album’s worth becomes a little tough to enjoy. It’s especially frustrating when it becomes difficult to understand the lyrics because of the sheer amount of distortion on the vocals. The vocals themselves, while mostly quite good and tonally fitting, are also a bit of a hindrance at points on the tracklist. Some deliveries feel a little pretentious and preachy, and like they’re trying too hard; this takes away a deal of the sincerity that it’s clear that Moon Walker is putting into these tracks.
The lyrics are arguably the strongest part of the record alongside the instrumentals, with the aforementioned “You’re Next” being probably the strongest-written cut from the LP. The commentary in the writing isn’t exactly groundbreaking, and is a little surface-level at times, but it is also witty and scathing enough to compensate for that. The topical matter, as mentioned earlier, is heavy and important, so its handling with a decent amount of care and poise is crucial to the lyricism on Wasteland Country working out.
Overall, Moon Walker’s fifth album is a well-structured project, with some great instrumental composition and decently strong lyricism. However, it is dragged down somewhat by at times overbearing vocals and excessive attempts to be as dirty and grungy as possible in the production. It’s an interesting record worth checking out, but not one that offers too much to revisit repeatedly.
5.8/10
