JEORDIE WHITE | BASE TENDENCIES

PRESS

IGN 07.13.09

Quirky Is As Quirky Does
by Ed Thompson

Kyuss, Masters of Reality, Marilyn Manson, The Bee Gees.

Another way to express that above grouping is: Step, Step, Step, SMACK!

How does one go about connecting the bands listed above? It is as simple as picking up the latest release from Goon Moon. The band features former Marilyn Manson guitarist Jeordie White (you probably remember him as Twiggy Ramirez) and longtime Kyuss producer/collaborator and Masters of Reality singer, guitarist Chris Goss.

The duo released their latest venture that includes a very heavy version of the Bee Gees classic "Every Christian Lion Hearted Man Will Show You." The track will do two things: it will expose a lot of metal bands to some of the incredible work from the early Bee Gees and it will also show those people a healthy enjoyment of good Britpop is not necessarily a bad thing.

Overall, the band features a heavy dose of desert rock that so influenced Goss over the past decade. But it adds in the same style and substance that made Marilyn Manson so incredibly popular back in the 1990s. Sometimes, like on the opening track called "Apple Pie" and on "Feel Like This" it does both, and does them very well.

On "Feel Like This" the song starts off with the quick, choppy, riff-ladened vibe that is signature Manson. But as soon as that vibe is established, the extended desert rock guitar sound takes over and the vocal harmonies take center stage. The transition between the two is seemless.

The album is a complete sonic trip that is rife with sludge guitar sound, psychedelic overtones, vocal oddities and deep groves. The most interesting track on the album is the nearly 10 minute track called "The Golden Ball." It is equal parts Frank Zappa, Les Claypool and LSD-era Beatles that even pays its respects to Ipecac founder and musical genius/oddity Mike Patton.

Goon Moon may well be a side project for Goss and part of a musical journey for White. As such, it will not exactly fit into any one category of musical genre and might have a hard time finding a niche in the musical realm. But fans of music in general should pick up this record. It is good enough that it should be heard by even those who do not qualify themselves as fans of desert rock or shock rock. It will be worth the listen.