The Famous Moon City Masters came out November 4th, 2022. This was my first time hearing about The Moon City Masters, so I did some Googling and read through the press kit before listening. Per the band, “The Moon City Masters are a Brooklyn based rock duo bringing an upbeat, funky classic rock sound to the 2020s.” It’s a perfectly fitting description. After listening to the album in full, I couldn’t describe them better myself. I am having a hard time thinking of any classic rock fan who wouldn’t appreciate The Moon City Masters.
Hitting play on The Famous Moon City Masters instantly brought to mind images of bell-bottomed pants and psychedelic colored shag carpet. I mean that in a good way! The first song, “Takin’ It Back” is such a fun listen. Upbeat, funky classic rock indeed. The riffs are catchy and the cleanly sung vocals are easy to follow along with. The songs flow together nicely and the sound quality is excellent, with care taken to find the right mixing and leveling to where no instrument overpowers the others.
Other songs I enjoyed a little more than the rest on the album, though they were all good, were “No Warning” with its attention-grabbing lyrics and emotional vocals, “Send It On,” which would be a ton of fun to learn for guitar players, “Over Now,” which has bits of disco-eque backup vocals combined with that clean, classic rock sound, and “Where You Wanna Run To,” which ends the album on a strong note.
Some songs, like “I’ve Got A Feelin,” seem like a perfect soundtrack to a vintage movie. Forrest Gump came to mind.
The only song I didn’t care for from The Famous Moon City Masters was “Starstruck,” and it’s personal preference. I don’t particularly like slower songs or ballads, though for fans of that sort of thing I’m sure it’s fine.
If you would have handed me a vinyl copy of The Famous Moon City Masters and told me about this awesome new band you discovered from the seventies, I would have believed you. Fans of Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd, The Who, and similar artists will love The Moon City Masters. The lyrics and subject matter are appropriate for the whole family to enjoy. I recommend this album to any even casual fan of classic rock. If you aren’t sure where to start, give “Takin’ It Back,” the first track, a shot, and see where it takes you.
I’m Music Magazine Photographer/Writer Jojo Key
