Moon Duo ‘Occult Architecture Vol. 1’

Words by Russell Carstens

Like the frightened man on the cover of Altered States, or Alex in A Clockwork Orange, you’re strapped down, forced to go on a journey—like it or not. Better off surrendering than fighting it.

The ship’s captain (Ripley Johnson, vocals/guitar) is a man who sounds like a hybrid of Beck and Thurston Moore. Reaching Mach speeds, you cross the space-time barrier, passing through wormholes. Space debris and entire galaxies pass your craft in a blur. Mind-bending, phase- frenzy guitar solos streak across your field of vision, like meteors in the Space Invaders video game. Finally, the ship slows down, landing on a surreal planet out of Heavy Metal. Back on your home planet, centuries have passed. You’ve aged greatly, looking like the older version of astronaut Bowman in 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Moon Duo certainly lives up to its name on Occult Architecture Vol. 1. Turn off the lights, plug in the lava lamp, and hang up the black-light posters. This is road trip music for astronauts.