Luna
Rendezvous

(Jetset)

First Appeared in The Music Box, November 2004, Volume 11, #11

Written by John Metzger

Apparently, Luna’s seventh studio album Rendezvous is to be its last, and unfortunately, throughout the collection’s 11 tracks, one can hear the band’s foundation beginning to crack. Since its formation in 1991, Luna has been one of the finest purveyors of edgy dream-pop, but the urgency that once fueled its outings is missing from a majority of its latest release. Indeed, there isn’t much to be found on Rendezvous that Luna didn’t deliver in better fashion on its earlier efforts — only on Buffalo Boots does the band truly unleash its full-fledged fury — and in truth, its formula for re-crafting The Velvet Underground’s catalogue simply has run out of steam. That’s not to say that there aren’t a few nuggets to be found among the selections. The opening Malibu Love Nest sparkles with its taut rhythms and tangled guitars; Cindy Tastes of Barbecue settles quite comfortably into its hazy, lazy groove; the ponderously disillusioned, late-night swirl of Motel Bambi drips with a lifetime full of sorrow and regret; and draped with wispy vocals and space-y effects, Star-Spangled Man is curiously hypnotic. While the rest of Rendezvous isn’t going to disappoint Luna’s cult of fans, its languid and disconnected musings also aren’t likely to excite those who aren’t hooked already on its twin gems Penthouse and Bewitched.

Of Further Interest...

Steve Earle - Transcendental Blues

My Morning Jacket - It Still Moves

Lou Reed - Playlist: The Very Best of Lou Reed

Rendezvous is available from
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Ratings

1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!

Copyright © 2004 The Music Box