EL VY goes for broke on Return to the Moon

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      EL VY
      Return to the Moon (4AD)

      Return to the Moon may be a curious name for EL VY’s debut disc, but there are some similar sensations lifting off from the indie-rock super duo’s first full-length affair. Featuring the National singer Matt Berninger and Ramona Falls/Menomena member Brent Knopf, it mixes some of the sunnier aural textures of the latter’s projects with the dry and damaged wit that the former delivers in his main gig.

      The record goes for broke with the good vibes up front, the title track slapping together a mix of jittery guitar-slinging, an upbeat mechano-click of drums, and Berninger’s fresh-squeezed optimism in the face of winning the lottery.

      “I’m the Man to Be” brings the guy back to earth. Prior to the album’s release, Berninger explained that this tune is taken from “the perspective of a pathetic self-aggrandizing rocker”, and it smacks of depression and withering self-importance. Above a sleek and sly arrangement, he twists his usual baritone boom into a quirky mid-range musing on life while engaged in a “sticky” auto-erotic asphyxiation session.

      There are moments of musical jubilation on Return to the Moon, from the piano-dipped shuffle of “Sleepin’ Light” to the Soft Cell–style electro stomp “Need a Friend”, but Berninger still offers up glumness behind the mike. On “Sad Case”, a nearly National-modelled piece of minor-key rock, the singer reports of his psyche: “It takes a lot of time, and it takes a bit of crying to get your mind off.”

      While the EL VY album allows Berninger to escape his routine and explore a different musical backdrop, it still has him dabbling in bum-out lyricism. For fans of the National, it’s a welcome return.

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