Pocket The Moon

Local New Music Act: Pocket The Moon
Reader Pick - Creative Loafing

Local Folk Act: Pocket The Moon
Reader Pick - Creative Loafing

A distinctive and gifted duo consisting of Sara Crawford and Geoff Goodwin, Pocket the Moon and their new self-titled LP demonstrate imagination and brilliance and undoubtedly justify their achievement of the 2011“Best New Local Act” title from the Creative Loafing Best of Atlanta survey. An indie two-piece with folksy and electronic flavor, Pocket the Moon delivers a striking instrumental and vocal delight with a slightly dark and somber aesthetic.
“Sleepwalking”, a heavy-eyed track with warm piano and tight drum recordings introduces the listener to Sara’s haunting and moving vocals as she chants “It was only a dreammmmm”.
With its novel combination of instrumentals and electro elements, “Rooftops” delivers the fragility and harmony of an Azure Ray hit—especially with the elusive vocals of Sara Crawford.
“Falling” has an electro tinge and exhibits a refreshing darkness and edginess—the perfect song for driving home from downtown at 4 am. This song almost has a shoe gaze-like appeal—to the point where one might be convinced it came straight off of a Sneaker Pimps album.
“Hipster Haircut”, a more indie/folksy track provides a change of pace with refreshingly clever lyrics. “I hate your trendy hipster hair. Did you get that to impress the anorexic painter so you can stay out late with her on the futon that you stole from me?” Employing unique features such as the xylophone and trumpet, “Peters Lament” provides a folksy, sing-a-long ballad, with the staple subject of lost love.
Overall, Pocket the Moon, thought endlessly talented, seems to be going through some sort of identity crisis. From delicate to vulgar, Fleet Foxes to My Bloody Valentine, there is not a sure shot image of who this band truly is (or wants to be) within the walls of this LP. However, all of their alter egos prove to be equally satisfying and dazzling—something that cannot be said for most groups in their early stages. - The Blue Indian

Pocket the Moon’s self-titled debut is really a neat spin on creating music. A total of two members make up this band: Sara Crawford, an award-winning Atlanta songwriter, and Geoff Goodwin, a longtime member of the Atlanta music scene (formerly of the Cult Following, Goodland and Night Eve). Throughout this well-conceived ten-song release, the two bounce through an array of instruments and roles, keeping every song unique to itself but consistent and supportive of the overall album. It’s surprising how far a little creativity and ingenuity can stretch the writing capabilities of a band with such a small roster.

From piano ballads like the opening “Sleepwalking” to the lighthearted (albeit slightly kooky) critique of hipsters on “Don’t Try So Hard,” the songs on this effort cover a wide variety of themes and emotions. But hands down the most compelling songs on the album are the moody, haunting numbers such as “Victoria” and “Peter’s Lament.” On these selections Crawford’s vocals float femininely through the dark atmosphere that Goodwin weaves for her, occasionally connecting with his harmonies to strike the listener with a beautiful sense of the morose.

Pocket the Moon does a superb job of choosing their instruments on these songs and playing precise, meaningful parts on them. Every note seems deliberate, well thought out and tasteful. Furthermore, when they choose to throw in the occasional brass section, organ or programmed percussion part, it brings the songs to new heights, adding exactly what the song needs and nothing more. As a result, the material comes out feeling very honest and real without any pretense or attempts to fit into any sort of musical box or genre.

A negative on this release, however, is the production quality, which seems a little low budget and lacking an expert’s touch. The overall listening experience is diminished by this handicap and it unfortunately hides some of the wonderful songwriting. Certain styles of music can thrive on lo-fi production, especially in the indie marketplace. Unfortunately, Pocket the Moon’s particular choice of writing style would have been better served with a higher quality recording. Good production simply communicates layered song structures such as theirs more effectively.

All this being said, Pocket the Moon should be proud of this release. Crawford and Goodwin have offered the best of their skills on this record and left it all on the field, so to speak. In the end, Pocket the Moon won’t likely blast the duo to the next level because it lacks both the production and accessibility that the general public can’t seem to live without. But that’s definitely not a bad thing. I see this album as an achievement of exactly what they set out to do for themselves and for no one else. Pocket the Moon have written a terrific album and this effort definitely speaks to the strength and clarity of their personal goals. Consider them reached and obtained.

More Info:
Web: www.pocketthemoon.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pocketthemoon
Twitter: www.twitter.com/pocketthemoon - Latest Disgrace

To summarize, I expected this record to be slow and a little bit somber, and the antithesis of what I’ve been listening to lately. But it didn’t necessarily pan out as anticipated. True, Pocket the Moon’s self-titled debut LP has some somberness happening. But the slivers of darkness – not even exclusively lyrically, but in the tangled mood of it all – are what bring it up well past the wrung of monotony and into a space that allows for comparisons to artists outside the genre (whatever it is, really). The best comparison that comes to mind is First Aid Kit, and then the vocals lend themselves to all sorts of other, stemming comparisons. Though not personally, I know who Sara Crawford, one-half of the band’s membership, is, and of what musical endeavors she’s capable, though I knew this would be different from her former style. I didn’t know much about the other half of Pocket the Moon, Geoff Goodwin. And it’s not a coincidence that I gave them some attention because [if you read my pieces you well know] I’m fascinated with two-piece bands.

Slow, this record is not. It has some downtime moments, but added ingredients of the programmed percussive variety spice up the step nicely – go back to the First Aid Kit reference. And indie-sense effects on acoustic drums give some tension to the flow of tunes. Though the lyrics are interesting and their stories relatable, they’re not as existential as I thought Crawford might push them. Au contraire, Crawford and Goodwin do a fine job of laying textures on top of songwriters’ habit standards (piano and guitar ones, that is), keeping the listener interested and tuned in for each next and next track.

The opening song, “Sleepwalking,” breaks in with uptempo delight. Goodwin’s drums have an oddly recorded sound to them. It’s as if they were recorded by one mic from the opposite corner of a warm, spacious room. It sounds a little cheap, and I like that a lot. And I can’t seem to put my finger on any recording technique I’ve heard recently, or maybe ever, that sounds like this. It sits somewhere between the warmth of lo-fi and the fullness of hi-fi. The piano parts are warm enough to be real, and airy/empty enough to create chills in conjunction with the simple lyrics of this first chorus, as Crawford repeats the line, “It was only a dream.” Structurally, there’s something driving and unchanging throughout this song that makes it innocent and real as opposed to experimental and folk.

That first song – clearly still my favorite by the time the record begins to repeat – drives through parts with a strange child-like frolic. Though a completely different genre, consider this approach: noise shoegazers like Lush, My Bloody Valentine and others often push through songs without giving precedence or any worry at all, even, to transitions. “Sleepwalking” moves that like. Instead of unnatural pauses, there are none, which makes it natural. The rest of the record flows in this fashion, but not as prominently as this tune. It lacks those, shall we call them, ‘tiresome singer/songwriter transitions that are supposed to be dramatic but make me yawn instead.’

“Rooftops” is pretty folksy, but it leads in with programming that’s later coupled by ‘verbed out and delayed simple drumming. It’s obvious that Goodwin knows how and when to execute accents, and how wonderfully they work when you’re following the k.i.s.s. principle. The haunting, textural sounds of “Rooftops” bully up to the standard chords being strummed on the acoustic guitar, which never egos itself up too much in the mix. That’s probably why Pocket the Moon plays venues like the E.A.R.L. and Drunken Unicorn around Atlanta, instead of some of our more ‘serious’ venues (I won’t mention them) which tend to lack attitude and character.
Pocket the Moon is using this record as a tool to prove themselves as a band, not a duo, and to exemplify some of the rules (or lack thereof, actually) of songwriting as a band of multi-instrumentalists. Crawford’s easy-listening voice spills tales that are tonally matter-of-fact, and that helps drive Pocket the Moon away from folk and towards something, musically, more transgressional. Atlanta doesn’t need another distraught artist becoming one with his or her Taylor to deliver us C-to-D-to-Am flops about lost love and inner redemption. I think Crawford and Goodwin are telling us, with this record, that they agree.

I dig the electro beats of “Falling” a lot. I also dig Goodwin’s pocketed vocal cadence and the way it’s layered by Crawford’s lazy, lingering half line backups and lots of smooth, Chan Marshall style ‘ahhs.’ The middle of the song holds some heavy texturing of what seems to be reversed analog delay melodies that are unusually tempo true and upbeat. Those textural sounds are like educated accidents and, again, that’s really what distinguishes this debut record from others of similar descent.
If you’re in Atlanta, catch Pocket the Moon at their CD release show on Friday, J - The Silver Tongue

After Dark
Best local songwriter: Sara Crawford
- Creative Loafing

Sara Crawford - seeing Sara play at our house was a real treat (yeah I said treat). Sara is a refined, well defined and masterful acoustic artist. I'm sure you have heard and seen her name before as she's been playing in and around Atlanta for almost a decade now. Take a listen to her stuff and you'll find yourself comparing her to all of your favorite female singer/songwriter types. She has a show on Friday, September 3rd - Sara Crawford and the Cult Following - she's playing with her band. She has another show at Mint Gallery on Friday, September 24th - not sure if its just her or her and the band but either way, you should strongly consider it. She graced us with the guitar and some keys so check it... - BeAtlanta