PREMIERE | The Luxembourg Signal, "Mourning Moon"
Hanging about on the cobblestones with The Luxembourg Signal; press photo courtesy of the band.
London by LA by San Diego dream weavers The Luxembourg Signal recently announced their thrid album The Long Now for Shelflife Records / Spinout Nuggets, sharing a first listen to the lunar luster of "Mourning Moon". The crew of Beth Arzy, Betsy Moyer, Johnny Joyner, Brian Espinosa, Ginny Pitchford, Daniel Kumiega and Kelly Davis continue their work with engineer Mark Rains to create a work that revels in the notion of our place in the expanded universe(s) of a timeline that exists beyond the constraints of our own mortal comprehension. From our books of lamentations, ecstatic epiphanies, odes to joy, songs of sorrow and solemnity; The Luxembourg Signal celebrates these fleeting experiences as they relate to the times and places of the now and what they may mean within a larger picture.
Presenting the world debut of “Morning Moon”, The Luxembourg Signal deliver a track that resembles long late hour drives beneath the astral shine of freeway utility lights and roadside reflectors. The guitars and percussion fuse together like the engine of a car speeding down a focused, foggy lost highway as Beth and Betsy deliver vocals that whirl with an intuitive harmony that sing like aerodynamic winds at speeds that hover right around the 80 mph needle mark. The group works with an aesthetic reminiscent of throwback 90s college pop heroes from the Sarah Records camp [Editor’s note — the band is comprised of members from Sarah’s own Aberdeen], 4AD artful dodgers and more, with melodic hints of R.E.M.'s eternal “Orange Crush". "Mourning Moon" evokes that feeling of being on the road again, rife with complicated sentiments, dubious liaisons and that caffeinated high of driving after midnight under the auspices of a sullen moon.
Johnny Joyner from The Luxembourg Signal shared some privy insights on the inspirations behind the song:
“Mourning Moon” was one of the last songs that we wrote for the LP, and recalls a personal moment of the loss of a loved one.
We kept Betsy’s vocals dry on the two verses in order to accentuate her emotion and then added effects back on her call and response with Beth to contrast with the rawness of the verses. The result is meant to evoke the sensation of one’s mind drifting in and out of consciousness.
On the middle instrumental breakdown, Ginny used a vintage Prophet VS synthesizer (one of the early digital synths from the 1980s, used by Brian Eno and John Carpenter) and added some haunting tones and textures to enhance the feeling of separation.
Overall, it turned out to be one of our favorite tracks on the LP.
The Long Now will be available October 23 via Shelflife (North America) and Spinout Nuggets (UK/EU).