Minor Moon

Add to the roster of acts who are mainly one person, the Chicago band Minor Moon. It’s the project of Sam Cantor, a transplanted New Englander who puts a soulful flourish into his new song “Weird How We Float” which we’re delighted to premiere today.

With its atmospheric sound and deliberate beat, the track conjures up a feeling of dreaminess as well as a certain sense of unease. Unlike the single “So Composed” released last month, “Weird How We Float” is more immediately dark says Cantor, who describes the tune as “essentially a story about someone waking up from a nightmare, and then having the realization that their current moment in reality is actually the eye of the storm.”

What is this storm? It could be the collapse of the environment, but many may also interpret it as the political nightmare that occurred since the track was recorded. Literally or metaphorically though, “the water is rising.” But can we change this distressing situation, or are we destined to be swept up in it? “The chorus,” says Cantor, “is about the uncannily mundane feeling of how, even when we are immersed or complicit in the things we despise, at most we still ‘float’ along.” (Still, it comes with a strong guitar solo.)

Minor Moon also features a trio of other Chicago musicians—Nathan Bojko on drums, Michael Downing on bass, and Colin Drozdoff on keyboards. “Weird How We Float” is from the upcoming LP, What Our Enemies Know, due in stores January 20 on Ruination Records (a label name that furthers the sense of doom). - The Vinyl District

We hebben er weer eentje! Zo klonk het afgelopen week op onze redactie. Band in kwestie? Minor Moon, een viertal uit Chicago, opgebouwd rondom frontman Sam Contor. Op 20 januari verschijnt als het goed is met What Our Enemies Know een tweede EP. En dat is er eentje waar we, afgaande op de tracks So Composed en Weird How We Float enorm naar uitkijken.

Jij ook? Misschien wel als we je vertellen dat Minor Moon ons doet denken aan bands als Procol Harum, The Band en Lambchop. Ja, een aparte combinatie. Zie het maar als Procol Harum of The Band die tracks van Lambchop coveren. Zoiets.

Of, zoals ze zelf zeggen: “Inspired by the rooted innovativeness of contemporary artists like Wilco, Grizzly Bear, Radiohead, Bon Iver, and Gillian Welch as well as the sound and craft of older folk and folk rock musicians like Nick Drake, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, and Van Morrison, Minor Moon’s soulful, complex, “americana-esque” sound strikes a unique balance between a vintage and modern sound palate, mysterious and revelatory lyrics, and a contemplative and emphatic spirit.” - Gobsmag

Minor Moon, "So Composed"

Minor Moon is the songwriting outlet for Chicago musician Sam Cantor, and he uses these musical avenues to explore and illuminate experiences and events that have shaped his perspective. What began as a series of bedroom demos written and recorded while he was in college in 2001 soon blossomed into a full-fledged band, with friends and local musicians filling in for live shows and various recording sessions. Drawing inspiration from a wide spectrum of sounds, Cantor doesn't narrow his field of vision as he works through his influences—rather, he allows each moment to engulf him entirely, giving his work an immediate and inclusive nature. His new record, "What Our Enemies Know," is set for release Jan. 20.

Their recent track, "So Composed," is reminiscent of Procol Harum or The Band working their way through a set of Lambchop covers. It's spry, slightly jazzy and feels incredibly pastoral. There is a sway and casual rock groove that permeates the whole thing, giving each moment its own singular personality. Beneath all these buoyant melodies lies an Americana heart that spills over with affection and honest emotionality. Ostensibly about the balance between confronting the things you fear the most and celebrating the light that helps you do just that, "So Composed" acts as a breathtaking monument to perseverance and determination in the face of everyday troubles. - Nooga.com

RIYL: Wilco and Lord Huron crossed with Paul Simon

Indie alt-folk/Americana artist Sam Cantor is a New England transplant now based in Chicago. The former Boston-area resident relocated after the Red Sox won their World Series but before the Cubs won theirs last week. Maybe there is no connection, but who are we to speculate? One listen will tell you that Cantor’s music holds magical powers. Direct artist comparisons pose a challenge since his band Minor Moon has a unique sound. Although steeped in Americana and folk, “So Composed” is driven by a soulful, old-school folk-rock undercurrent that wouldn’t have been out of place on ’70s-era AM radio. Minor Moon effortlessly combines the best of several decades and genres. In doing so, the finished product defies a label but delights the listener.

The “So Composed” single (plus their previous releases) can be found at the group’s Bandcamp page. Their full album, What Our Enemies Know, is due in January from Ruination Records. The band’s upcoming tour dates are listed here.

Minor Moon are: Sam Cantor (vocals), Michael Downing (bass, vocals), Colin Drozdoff (keys), and Nathan Bojko (drums). - The Revue

Minor Moon is the songwriting project of Sam Cantor, a musician based in Chicago, IL. Minor Moon’s latest effort is a 5 song EP titled What Our Enemies Know. Inspired in large part by the experience of uprooting from New England to the Midwest, Cantor’s newest handful of songs explore the tension between being haunted by ghosts and embattled by enemies, both real and imagined, while simultaneously affirming the lightness, playfulness and love required to overcome these universal challenges. Across the EP, the tracks reverberate within and reflect upon one another, and Cantor’s songwriting demonstrates both increased discipline and experimentation compared to previous releases. Meanwhile, the performances captured during these recording sessions are as raw and improvisational as they are measured and intentional.

Come January 20th, you can pick up What Our Enemies Know at the band's Bandcamp page. - Paste

Minor Moon is the songwriting project of Sam Cantor – a musician based in Chicago – which began life as a series of bedroom demos back in 2011.

Since then, he’s been firmly on the front foot gigging extensively and releasing EP, Faultines, and debut LP, A Whisper, A Shout. Minor Moon’s latest effort, a five track EP, What Our Enemies Know, is marked for on January 20th, 2017. Ahead of its release, we’ve been given a taste of the EP in single ‘So Composed’. The inspiration for this, and Minor Moon’s sound, seems rooted in classic practitioners of the craft – Nick Drake, Neil Young, Van Morrison with a touch of The Doors – while owing much also, to more contemporary artists like Wilco or Grizzly Bear. What is certain though, is Minor Moon strikes a wonderful balance between vintage and modern. ‘So Composed’ is a smooth and stylish infusion of laid-back indie with elements of jazz and airy Americana. Stellar pop-craft enhanced further with peppered brass, dripping keys and soulful vocals; rather great by any estimation.

What Our Enemies Know EP isn’t released until January 20, 2017 but you can listen to ‘So Composed’, right now, below. - BarryGruff

Amidst all the hubbub of Halloween week, you’re likely to need a little chill, which is why you want to unwinda little with this delightful track from Minor Moon tune. The core of the song gives the impression of forlorn Americana, but the special touch revolves around the warm hook of the chorus; it offers up a slightly different spin, enabling listeners to digest the careful craftsmanship. As the band looks to fill in more space, they layer the sound with ornate horns; I also like the little keyboard nod to Air, or at least that’s what my ears hear. Celebrate the release of the band’s new single this Friday, and look for What Our Enemies Know, their new album, on Jaunary 20th via Ruination Records. - Austin Town Hall

Minor Moon is the recording project of Sam Cantor, a musician based in Somerville, Massachusetts and soon relocating to Chicago. A Whisper, A Shout, released this past December, is his début album as Minor Moon, recorded with the help of a talented bunch of musicians, including WTD favourite Dan Knishkowy.

The album opens with ‘All I Want’, a lush blend of folk and indie rock, the stark guitar warmed by Cantor’s full-bodied vocals which rise and fall from composure to vehemence and back again, creating something lonely yet fierce. A whisper, a shout. ‘Futon’ sees the guitar and bass gather momentum, providing the barroom swagger to match the drunken brashness of the lyrics, in which the narrator calls things as he sees them. Whether this is borne of clarity or anger is unclear, and indeed the momentum wanes by the final lines, as if his conviction drips away or else he begins to feel sorry for its target.

“Washed out of your clothes
Toothpaste and filtered smoke
You walk back into the cold
Howling and alone”

‘Catch and Release Pt. I’ is a mellow love song which segues into ‘Pt. II’, where the electric pulse of bass hints at an eventual climax, growing into a storm of percussion and Cantor’s howled vocals. ‘Call Out’ has a real Magnolia Electric Co. feel, isolation and sadness and fear wrapped within smart writing and swirls of instrumentation, fuelled by the insistent dread of self-doubt and bad feeling to produce something keenly honest and cathartic, yet always coloured with wry self-referential lines about that very process.

“Freakin’ out and I’d like to incinerate my dread
But I’ll fashion a metaphor instead
Like fastening a bomb to our bed
And grieving long before we’re even dead
I should reiterate this is all in my head

I leap from where I stand
I’m falling in, I’m falling in”

‘Bare Light’ is short and succinct, a rapid clatter of percussion and cryptic lyrics, while ‘Wild’ emerges wistful and wishful, the memories of a caged animal ghosting across some half-forgotten landscape. ‘I Could Fall In Love With Silence’ has a sad swagger, Cantor channelling the heart-broke strut of Otis Redding in a song which ebbs and flows from melancholy to affirmation to faraway dreams and round again. The album closes with the title track, which returns to (and expands upon) the opening song in what could either been seen as an epilogue or a direct link back to the beginning, enabling the record to be played in a continuous cycle. Either way, the track continues Cantor’s careful use of strong imagery and metaphor, invoking importance and meaning from words and phrases which might seem overwrought in other hands, and sees what is possibly my favourite writing on the album:

“Time pulls the tide with the moon for hands
While whispers incite my love again
Cacophony glides on ships to the sand
While whispers incite my love again

The dog howls ignite to the sky from the land
While whispers incite my love again
A pinhole of light is all god can command
While whispers incite my love again” - Wake The Deaf

Just yesterday, Somerville, Massachussetts alt-folk act Minor Moon released its rather sublime debut full-length, 'A Whisper, A Shout.' As heard on the guitar-curled second track "Futon" and in the plaintive drum clasps of later song "Wild" (streaming below), this album revels in an affecting combination of masterfully refined instrumentation and bold emotional depth. Project mastermind, Sam Cantor, does, in fact, bare his feelings on the latter song, expressing inner struggles as he searches for a potentially transcendant peace. Minor Moon will have an album release show on Saturday (12/12) at Out of the Blue Too Art Gallery in Cambridge, Massachussetts. - Zach Weg - The Deli Magazine

What’s wrong with a little Americana? Some honest folk and roll?
What’s wrong with something relatively simple—strong hooks, great lyrics and heartfelt vocals?
What’s wrong with all of this coming from Boston and landing in Chicago?

Absolutely nothing—that’s what’s wrong with all of that.

A Whisper, A Shout is the debut album from Minor Moon, a project led by Samuel Cantor.
(Hear a song below.)

Cantor clearly understands his craft. He’s writing with earned wisdom. Singing with a voice powerful but reserved. And best of all, he’s put everything into it—that comes through in spades. This is a fantastic debut record. The kind that grabs your attention and promises a bright future.

A Whisper, A Shout has a steadiness to it. A heart-on-the-sleeve feel. Even as a first time listener, it sounds familiar and down-to-earth. These are things that endear musicians to Chicago.

OK, the association game: I hear Band of Horses (Minor Moon’s harmonies are strong). A little Widespread Panic (maybe it’s the vocals). And a smattering of music I’ve heard in bars in North Carolina (I consider that a very good compliment).

Appropriately titled, the album winds its way through quiet, tense meditation to find something stirring—sometimes a shrieking guitar, or rousing vocals—oftentimes in the same song. Sound uneven? Perhaps, at times. That being said, I imagine it plays out beautifully live. And you’ll have your chance on April 7, at Elbo Room. So check it out.

Listen to one of our favorite songs below, and hear more on the Minor Moon website.
A couple other favorite tracks are Futon, and Catch and Release Pt. 1.

Welcome to Chicago, boys! - Sound Citizen

In the fallow period between the holidays and the first releases of the New Year, it’s good to discover some sounds that slipped through the 2015 net. This December release from Minor Moon is one that’s highly recommended. Fronted by Sam Cantor, who’s been based in New England but who’s soon to be from Chicago, A Whisper, A Shout is the band’s first full-length release. Initially, you’d be forgiven for thinking there’s a Jason Molina thing going on. There are dark themes based around powerful guitar work, notably on ‘Call Out’. But this is no second-rate, copy-cat misery fest. And, despite the name of the album, the songs aren’t based around the standard quiet/loud formula. The vocals are always confident and persuasive. There’s some great bass work on tracks like ‘Futon’. And even some jazzy elements on ‘Bare Light’. Sam Cantor is a friend of Dan Knishkowy, whose band, Adeline Hotel, opened up 2015 on Half-Life Music. Twelve months on, Minor Moon have provided another great start to a new year. Check out A Whisper, A Shout over at Bandcamp. - Half-Life Music