The Moon Seven TimesCountry of origin:U.S. Type of music generally:Ethereal blues pop rock Status:Final album, Sunburnt (1997) See also:Moon Seven Times facebook page Comparisons:Area fuses with Curve or Darling Buds and goes grunge. (brianb@mooman.com) Covers/own material:Own material General comments:The Moon Seven Times is one of those bands that the more you listen to them the more original and intriguing you realize their sound is. To me, the most distinctive part of their sound is the combination of Henry Frayne's harmonic guitar work with Lynn Canfield's ethereal but strong voice. Their first self-titled album is the most purely ethereal of their albums, though there is a strong bluesy touch to the music. 7=49 adds a stronger rock sound to the strengths of the first album. Sunburnt sounds a little bluesier still and has almost a countryish touch at times. There is something about this band's music (and their previous incarnation, Area's) that is powerfully evocative, and this quality has made The Moon Seven Times one of my favourite bands. (Neile) Comments about live performance:I have been wanting to see The Moon Seven Times for about 8 years, (from the days when they were Area). Lynn Canfield swirled around stage, a post-Natalie Merchant. Her usually whispery voice was stronger than on records, and she had an engaging, warm stage presence. Henry Frayne's glimmering, minimalist guitar created perfect environments for Canfield's reveries, while the bass and drums gave the songs a solid structure. They performed songs from all three of the albums, including some of my favorites—"13 Days" and "My Game". (ethereal_lad@livejournal.com) Recommended first album:Any—go for the one whose description sounds most intriguing to you. Recordings:
The Moon Seven TimesRelease info:1993—Third Mind Records—TM 9106 2 Availability:Can be found in U.S. stores that carry indie releases. Ecto priority:Highly recommended Group members:Lynn Canfield—vocals Produced by:The Moon Seven Times Comments:Like someone else said, it's Area done one better. Great stuff. (meth@smoe.org) 7=49Release info:1994—Roadrunner Records—RR 9018-2 Availability:Good Ecto priority:Highly recommended Group members:Lynn Canfield—vocals Produced by:Brendan Gamble and The Moon Seven Times Comments:Though Henry Frayne's gorgeous guitar is frequently buried in Brendan Gamble's flashier guitar, Henry's playing is still the bond that holds this band together for me and makes it totally individual. That and Lynn Canfield's lovely voice and funky lyrics. This album rocks more than their first but this is recognizably them. (Neile) SunburntRelease info:1997—Roadrunner Records—RR 8911-2 Availability:Good Ecto priority:Highly recommended Group members:Lynn Canfield—vocals Guest artists:Jay Bennett—guitar Produced by:Trina Shoemaker and The Moon Seven Times Comments:As with their other albums, over time I've grown to love this album more and more, and now it finally ranks as high as their other two albums for me. Though the producer mostly kept Henry's guitar work in the background, it's still there, centering the band and creating spaces for their songs. I still can't listen to the guest lead guitarist's '70s noodling all over two of the tracks here, but the rest of the album (and even those songs underneath that) I love. Now it surprises me how long this album took to rise in my estimation. It does sparkle to me like their previous two did—just not as immediately apparently as with them. "Some of Them Burn" is one of The Moon Seven Times' best songs ever, and there's other great work here. Don't dismiss this as I did at first because it's not another album like their ethereal eponymous debut or their rocky 7=49. Sunburnt is a wonderful album that is another side of this creative and talented band. Wonderful songs, great guitar, and catchy vocals. This is a great band. (Neile) Thanks to Michael Curry and to Brian Bloom for work on this entry.
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