Cemetery Classics＜Coloured Vinyl＞

When Deerhunter drummer Moses Archuleta began releasing music as Moon Diagrams, the difference between his weightless hybrids of ambient techno and dreamy pop and his other bands music came as something of a shock. With Cemetery Classics, he surprises listeners once again. Though his second album still floats between warped indie pop, moody electronics, and an experimental viewpoint, theres a notable shift from the approach he took on Lifetime of Love and Trappy Bats. Archuleta continues to open up Moon Diagrams once-insular world, bringing on producer James Ford, Cindy Lees Patrick Flegel, Gang Gang Dances Josh Diamond and Anastasia Coope to add more color to the album. He also tightens up his music -- to a point. As the title Cemetery Classics hints, things feel more finite. The edges of these tracks are sharpened, and Archuleta flips his formula, putting vocal-based songs first and atmospheres second. Searching yet soothing instrumentals like the dusty reverberations of "Mousetrap" or the floating disco/dream-pop hybrid "Rewop" wouldve stretched out to meditative lengths on Moon Diagrams previous releases, but here they serve as respites between more structured songs that somehow feel more far-flung than Archuletas other pop forays. "NRG" and "Left Hand of God" evoke Panda Bears looping, lysergic bliss; "Big Ref" offers a subterranean take on Depeche Mode-style synth pop; and "Fifteen Shows at One Time"s vivid synths and beats take their cues from early Daft Punk. As engaging as these songs are, Cemetery Classics is at its best when Archuleta concentrates on his own distinctive sounds and moods. "Brand New Effie" channels the hazy yet deeply felt emotions of Lifetime of Love into cryptic pop that flickers between euphoria and gloom; similarly, the poignant "Fragment Rock" seems to pick up where that albums "End of Heartache" left off. Most bewitching of all might be the glitchy trip-hop of "Very Much My Promise to You," where Coopes blurry vocals heighten its elusive beauty. Cemetery Classics is at once more focused and less cohesive than Moon Diagrams earlier work, but at its finest, it reimagines the mysterious, intuitive appeal of Archuletas music. ~ Heather Phares