"THERE IS abundant evidence that we are being contacted. Civilisations have been visiting us for a very long time. Their appearance is bizarre from any materialist Western point of view..."
A deadly serious voice, one not accustomed to being contradicted, informs of these alien visits as part of 'Moon Dunes', the opening track of Long Shore Drift, the new EP - or 'digital cassingle' - by Loner Deluxe via the independent Galway label, Rusted Rail.
'Moon Dunes' is a continuation of Loner Deluxe's obsession with what he calls "UFOlk", and indeed a listener may be tempted to ask, 'Well, who's been watching Stranger Things recently, then?" (the artist is also a considerable John Carpenter fan, another influence at work here ) The track is built around a very simple chord progression, but the utter seriousness of that 'we have been visited' believer to the throbbing bass, and the woozy, sinewy synth sound, combine to produce a very effective soundtrack for a TV series about aliens yet to be scripted.
[Video made by tinyEPICS]
The majority of instruments on Long Shore Drift are played by Loner Deluxe (aka Keith Wallace ), but the title track is the most collaborative, and one of Loner's finest compositions to date. A looped, bouncing banjo figure from Dave Colohan, and a gentle, yet pulsing electronic beat, underpins the track, contrasting beautifully with the atonal sounds that gurgle behind the gently musing vocals of Aaron Coyne (lyricist for this track ). The song has a late nineties, early 2000s feel, and recalls a certain kind of song that would have been heard on No Disco.
A second instrumental 'Heatwaves' is a touch of electro-folk trance, inspired by summer travels in Ireland; while closing track 'NiteKlubGhosts' ("music for a derelict dancefloor in a haunted nightclub," says Keith ), reprises some of these themes and ideas of the opening track, neatly wrapping up and tying together the overall ideas of the EP.
