Music
Press
“Door het fijne bevreemdende en soms ook ietwat desolate karakter van haar muziek roept ze ook wel herinneringen op aan Soap&Skin en Fever Ray, zij het dat Moon & Sun veel speelser en meer ontwapenend is. Geweldige plaat en een grote belofte voor de toekomst.”
“The pleasantly alienating and desolate character of the music somewhat reminds us of Soap&Skin and Fever Ray, although Moon & Sun come across more playful and disarming. Terrific album and a great promise for the future.” - Caleidoscoop
“‘The Wild Things’ is zo goed dat het werkstuk dus vooral veel te kort is, we gaan als een speer op zoek naar dat debuut ‘Apocalypso’, want Moon & Sun heeft ons meer dan enthousiast gemaakt met deze plaat.”
“We immediately started looking for the debut record ‘Apocalypso’, because ‘The Wild Things’ is simply that good. With this record Moon & Sun got us super hyped up.” - musicfrom.nl
“De term Apocalypso waarmee Monica haar muziek omschrijft is goed gekozen. Een Apocalyps refereert naar een openbaring van verborgen dingen door God aan een gekozen profeet. Zie jezelf in deze beeldspraak als de profeet, Monica als God en muziek als de boodschap. Geniet ervan.” 4/5
“The term ‘Apocalypso’ Monica picked to describe her music is well chosen. An apocalpyse refers to a revelation of a certain, hidden subject by God to a chosen prophet. In this metaphor you are the prophet, Monica (Moon & Sun) is God and Music the hidden subject. Enjoy!” 4/5 - ROAR ezine
“Deze duistere verklanking met tribale hiphop-ritmes had zonder moeite een plekje op de soundtrack van Karen O in kunnen nemen. Het allermooiste liedje van deze ep heet “Hollow” en is op een al eigenzinnige plaat een uniek juweeltje. Het is de eerste ballade met steel drums die ik ooit hoorde.”
“These dark sounds guided by tribal hiphop rythems could easily be part of Karen O’s soundstrack. The most unique enchanting song on this already characteristic ep is “Hollow”. It’s actually the first ballad accompanied by steel drums I have ever heard.” - Fileunder.nl
“Filled with soothing and sometimes, haunting vocals; it creates a mild nostalgia that reminds listeners of full moon nights in the woods or by the seashore. Perfect background album if you feel like jumping from one dreamland to another at the comfort of your home.” - Frostclick
“The wild things” by the Swedish act Moon & Sun was one of the latest albums in 2010 and at this time of the year I did not expect to find a release that would make it into my personal top five of 2010. [...] The wild things EP by this wondeful Swedish artist got me right away and I could tell after listening just for a few seconds that I would truly fall in love with this music, reminding me of big and established indie artists like Cat Power, Bat for lashes or Warpaint, Moon and Sun have this strange beauty that is hard to explain with words.” - Aaahh Records
Discography
Apocalypso 7" Ep
Oscillatone Records 2009
The Wild Things 10" Ep
Beep! Beep! Back up the Truck 2010
The Wild Things - Remixes (upcoming 2011)
Photos
Bio
Moon & Sun is the work of Swedish songwriter and visual artist Monica Tormell. Influenced by lonesome, gloomy atmospheres and Caribbean tunes her music sets out to explore sonic constellations from the primitive to the electronic and manipulated.
‘The Wild Things’ was written and recorded on Curacao, in the woods of Sweden and in Amsterdam, all with an impact and a presence on the record. It’s a journey through landscapes, changing from beautiful picture views into ghostly midnight lands, a place where reality, imagination and time blur together.
Moon & Sun is the observer traveling from palm trees to pine trees trying to translate it both musically and lyrically, using instruments like the tambu, drum, steeldrums, clavé sticks and the Swedish zither.
The record was co-produced with Staffan Björk. The two of them have worked together many times before with sonic art projects and playing in bands. Their last band was the shy shoegaze duo Mustafa et Monique.
Monica went to Curacao the first time in 2009 where she had an artist residency at Instituto Buena Bista (IBB) for 3 months. She met a local percussionist, Crisanta Martha, and started recording her drumming that later came to function as Moon & Sun’s own ‘drum-library’. Within a year she went back again.
Reading the book Zoutrif by Miriam Sluis and taking walks through the beautiful, but traumatized, ruins of the old plantation area (Rif) together with the author, inspired Monica to write the song ‘Salt & Indigo’.
The song Bo is a tribute to the Swedish musician Bo Hansson, who past away earlier this year, describing a sense of belonging when you stand alone outside your cottage on the Swedish countryside surrounded by the woods and the midnight sky.
The record cover is made by Nicole Martens. The different images put together in a kaleidoscope-like way are all glimpses of the places; the foggy view outside Monica’s cottage in Karleby, Sweden, the back-yard of the IBB house and the stark silver tree from Zoutrif on Curacao.
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