Carving out a niche for one’s sound can be tough. Every musician is a tapestry of influences and tastes, and when artists come together as a group, it can be a task trying to find the way those fit together in a cohesive way. Moncton’s Les Moontunes are navigating those cosmic pools exceptionally well, as evidenced by their self-titled debut of psychedelic jazz explorations.
Les Moontunes is an intriguing collection of tracks that displays its sonic influences clearly and proudly. From both an aesthetic standpoint from the album art by Marcel Leblanc and within the production choices by Xavier Richard, there is more than a little dark side to this moon. This isn’t at all a bad thing—the group does a great job holding that icon in the rearview mirror without sounding derivative. There’s a solid Kamasi Washington connection to draw as well, along with shots of bluesy rock and R&B.
The predominant strength of Les Moontunes is their unity in groove, something that is captured fantastically in the album’s offerings. Their skillful and immediate shifts in rhythm and tone are astounding, jutting from smoky sizzles of passion and longing to funked up and spaced out blares of jazz euphoria. The dynamics are precise and powerful.
The soundscapes crafted by the interplay between instruments and the space of the mix are transcendent and enticing; it truly feels like sonic worldbuilding. On tracks like “Icy Delight,” the individual instruments meld into a monolith of expression, growing and descending in triumphant waves. The wide playing field the bass and rhythm creates, the warm middle ground of the barroom keys, and the distinctive guiding voices of the brass, all hold court in their own right and create a steady, strange journey.
While the instrumental basis of Les Moontunes is incredibly strong, the vocals do leave a bit to be desired on the album. A Black Keys-esque delivery is present on a number of tracks, and only really hits its soaring stride on closer “Colors.” Rapped verses en français don’t mesh well with the overall vibe of the album, delivered edgier than necessary; their lower audio quality also has them either lost in the mix or a bit too abrasive. Both have some distinct vocal choices and could lend something cherishable to the overall sound if honed.
Les MoonTunes have an eclectic energy to them that is quite largely in their favour. Their debut keeps you guessing in the best of ways, and is ripe with gorgeous sonic landscapes, spacey contemplation, and smouldering energy. Despite some bits of their audio identity not being fully formed yet, Les Moontunes is an incredibly promising piece of work from some of the east coast’s most interesting jazz artists.