Romantica

Q - 4 stars out of 5 - "...Concise, beguilling guitar pop..." Magnet - "...It finds Wareham in rare form..." Mojo - "...Exuberant and undeniable, if you don't own a Luna album, start here..." Spin - 7 out of 10 - "...Wareham's back on an indie label - and his A-game....It's an album that presents its bruises with a coy wink..." Rolling Stone - 3 out of 5 stars - "...Each of Wareham's songs is well-rounded and pleasantly wispy..." CMJ - "...ROMANTICA wraps you up in acomfortable cocoon of dream pop, psychedelic swirls and witty lyricism...[it] has a raw and immediate feel..." Alternative Press - 8 out of 10 - "...Largly standard Luna fare: smooth, loungey, literate alt-popo with quirky yet instantly moving melodies." Rolling Stone (5/9/02, p.74) - 3 out of 5 stars - "...Each of Wareham's songs is well-rounded and pleasantly wispy..." Spin (6/02, pp.105-6) - 7 out of 10 - "...Wareham's back on an indie label - and his A-game....It's an album that presents its bruises with a coy wink..." Q (8/02, p.128) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...Concise, beguilling guitar pop..." Alternative Press (4/02, p.79) - 8 out of 10 - "...Largly standard Luna fare: smooth, loungey, literate alt-popo with quirky yet instantly moving melodies." Magnet (6-7/02, p.95) - "...It finds Wareham in rare form..." Mojo (8/02, p.112) - "...Exuberant and undeniable, if you don't own a Luna album, start here..." CMJ (4/22/02, p.5) - "...ROMANTICA wraps you up in acomfortable cocoon of dream pop, psychedelic swirls and witty lyricism...[it] has a raw and immediate feel..."

After Luna bassist and founding member Justin Harwood left the band at the turn of the millennium, Britta Phillips took his place, and a new chapter of the band began. ROMANTICA, the group's sixth studio recording, is the document of a recharged band. All the familiar elements are in place--dizzying twin guitars, comfort-food melodies, and playful, if downcast, lyrics. But thanks to Gene Holder's gleeming production and Dean Wareham's skilled and emotionally resonant songcraft, Luna reaches new levels of lushness here.
Luna's trademark mellow grooves show up in "Lovedust" and the beautiful "Black Postcards", but ROMANTICA displays a wide range of colours. Heavily tremoloed guitar snakes through the countryish, slightly surreal "Renee Is Crying", while strident drums lash out in the jealous rage of "1995". The swooning waltz "Swedish Fish", a song of regret, longing, and sensual delight, is one of the prettiest songs in the Luna canon. Arguably the group's most melodic album, ROMANTICA captures Luna at its peak.|