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 band's 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, there's 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 Lee's
Patrick Flegel,
Gang Gang Dance's
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" would've 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
Archuleta's other pop forays. "NRG" and "Left Hand of God" evoke
Panda Bear's 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 album's "End of Heartache" left off. Most bewitching of all might be the glitchy trip-hop of "Very Much My Promise to You," where
Coope's blurry vocals heighten its elusive beauty. ~ Heather Phares
