Blood Moon. Ry X

This spring Your Love, one of the singles of Blood Moon, featured in the weekly singles round up on this blog. The music instantly reminded me of City and Colours' If I Should Go Before You', an impressive double EP released in 2015. Blood Moon, finally released physically last week, does not do much to change that impression, so certainly deserves a spot on the blog as well.

There are enough differences between the two albums, so there's not much need to go deeper than this, except for the background of the two artists. The Canadian artist has an emo background, the Australian, a dance/electronics one. This is certainly discernable on Blood Moon. Although an acoustic guitar is the heart of the music on the album, the atmospherics and the, very slow but often deep beats betray his background. It makes for a hybrid album by a 2022 singer-songwriter. The differences in background, while coming up with a similar result, remains striking.

Blood Moon is an album to truly listen to. Singer Ry Cuming shares his emotions with his listeners in oh so subtle ways. His voice is layered, singing in a higher range, and here I must mention Canadian Patrick Watson as well. Like Watson, Cuming's voice is awash with effects, making its sound multi-layered as well as multi-tracked. The same goes for the music. Listening more closely brings forward a host of other sounds that are not immediately obvious when listening more superficially. Every session with Blood Moon may lead to new discoveries.

Ry X presents an album for the later hours, when the mind is receptive to listening and not wanting to do much else. One of those moments when nothing else is required and the world can be shut out for a while. These are the most rewarding moments for Blood Moon. This album is not about the individual songs. They are as such interchangeable, in the best meaning of something that may have a negative connotation. When listening to Blood Moon it is about the experience of the whole and not the individual song. Blood Moon can bring you in a trance like state with its, soft, slow and emotional music.

So nothing much going on then?, I can hear you comment. Yes, if you are in such of a party album, but a definite no when you're in search of a satisfying listening experience. Ry X delivers here 110%.

Wout de Natris

You can listen to and order Blood Moon here:

https://ryxmusic.bandcamp.com/releases