The New Red Moons
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States | SELF
Music
Press
Much like the band's intriguing lunar reference, The New Red Moons' self titled release lights up the atmosphere in a warm red glow of catchy Beatle-esque melodies and vintage classic rock refrains of which very few modern bands can pull off without sounding like they plagiarized them from their parents' record collection... The New Red Moons embody a lot that seems uncertain, or even lost. It isn't just in the reflective feel of their music; it exists too in a more literal sense in McIlheran's lyrical messages. There's a sparse illumination about them, one that carefully shrouds the content of the songs in a shadowed atmosphere that allows any connection you make with their emotions to be made strictly by how much of what they're willing to reveal...The music of The New Red Moons speaks volumes about all that's gone missing, all that's gone wrong, and all that's been going unsung and unsaid. You recognize them without having to, and you understand them without needing to. They're an enigma, in a way, with how they can signal with emblazoned passion the rising of something entirely new, but still remind of everything that should have never been forgotten. - Documents Unknown
Much like the band's intriguing lunar reference, The New Red Moons' self titled release lights up the atmosphere in a warm red glow of catchy Beatle-esque melodies and vintage classic rock refrains of which very few modern bands can pull off without sounding like they plagiarized them from their parents' record collection... The New Red Moons embody a lot that seems uncertain, or even lost. It isn't just in the reflective feel of their music; it exists too in a more literal sense in McIlheran's lyrical messages. There's a sparse illumination about them, one that carefully shrouds the content of the songs in a shadowed atmosphere that allows any connection you make with their emotions to be made strictly by how much of what they're willing to reveal...The music of The New Red Moons speaks volumes about all that's gone missing, all that's gone wrong, and all that's been going unsung and unsaid. You recognize them without having to, and you understand them without needing to. They're an enigma, in a way, with how they can signal with emblazoned passion the rising of something entirely new, but still remind of everything that should have never been forgotten. - Documents Unknown
Here's a beautiful track from Milwaukee's The New Red Moons. Boy/girl harmonies meld with some pretty guitar work and subtle percussion to produce a very nice little indie gem. The lyrics tell a nice story, and the overall vibe is gentle and relaxing. "Denver" comes off the band's self-titled debut LP which you can pick up right meow! So go get it. You certainly won't be disappointed.
- Music That Isn't Bad
Here's a beautiful track from Milwaukee's The New Red Moons. Boy/girl harmonies meld with some pretty guitar work and subtle percussion to produce a very nice little indie gem. The lyrics tell a nice story, and the overall vibe is gentle and relaxing. "Denver" comes off the band's self-titled debut LP which you can pick up right meow! So go get it. You certainly won't be disappointed.
- Music That Isn't Bad
Tune in this Tuesday at 8 for Local/Live, this week’s guest is The New Red Moons. This Milwaukee trio combine hook-laden 60’s pop with the darker elements of modern folk rock to create a sound unique to the local scene. Like Midlake meets The Kinks, The New Red Moons use punchy musical arrangements and lush vocal harmonies to inform and imbue their songs with toe-tapping melancholy. To hear a live set from one of the city’s best new bands, check out The New Red Moons this Tuesday at 8 on WMSE’s Local/Live. - WMSE 91.7 Frontier Radio (Website)
It’s one thing to faithfully replicate the sounds of the past, but it’s another to do it with any degree of originality and skill. The members of Milwaukee’s The New Red Moons pull off that sometimes-difficult trick remarkably well, and though they may refer to themselves as “Tin Pan Alley rock,” they have more in common with a slightly dialed-down Queen than they do with the famed hit-factory of yore. The Moons’ biggest strength lies in WAMI-nominated Joe McIlheran, a singer whose impressive vocal chords are matched only by his melodic prowess. - The A.V. Club
Discography
The New Red Moons (self-titled album) 2011
Mesmerisme (in production) 2013
Photos
Bio
Since the release of their self-titled debut album in July 2011, The New Red Moons have been working feverishly to spread the good news of their brand of indie rock to the great lakes region. Performing to growing audiences in Milwaukee, Chicago, and the surrounding area, the band has garnered praise from listeners and critics alike for their live performances as well as their album, which has been called an “indie gem”(Music That Isn’t Bad) and has received air-play on 88.9Radio Milwaukee and WMSE. Not the lazy types, the trio is now completing work on their second full-length album, which should be out this fall.
Conceived among the falling leaves of a midwest autumn and born on a cold Milwaukee night in January 2009, The New Red Moons is a trio of Milwaukee musicians who together have forged sound unto themselves. The songs draw inspiration form all over the musical map of the last century, skirting the line between Folk, Rock, and Americana, with generous helpings of Tin Pan Alley, Gospel, and 50’s Roots Rock. The sound is melodic, haunting, and sultry; driven by economic and rhythmic instrumentals overlaid by soaring vocal lines and lush harmonies. The result has been compared to The Beatles, Radiohead, Nick Drake, Fleet Foxes and many others.
The release of The New Red Moons in July 2011 was a culmination of 2 years of constant performing, songwriting, and staying up way too late, and the album was meant to capture the live set that the band had developed. Utilizing few effects and no overdubs, the album presents the sound of The New Red Moons as you would hear it live: sparse, ethereal, and heart-rending. According to the Documents Unknown music blog,
“The New Red Moons album actually plays like an album should (and used to), setting a mood, holding it, and providing an ebb and flow with the kind of dangerously addictive consistency from the first track to the last that makes you feel sold short if allowed only a partial listen.”
Last autumn, the band began recording their second album, which is in post-production now, and should be released in November. They couldn't be more excited to bring these newest songs to audience around the midwest, and are looking forward to an autumn full of gigs.
Links
