Moon Over Mountain: Champagne And Brass

The follow up to The Colors Of Life, Champagne And Brass is the second album from the duo Moon Over Mountain. We’re in the realms of New Age pop here and as with so many of these DIY sounding albums, for me, there are challenges of tolerance to be faced as you try to overcome budgetary and recording shortcomings in the search of the album’s essence. Here, it’s cheap sounding programmed drums and twee keyboard samples that continually keep me at arm’s length from immersing myself in any of the twelve tracks presented here. Add in that, especially on the opening title track, Megan Buness’s vocals seem to strain for some of the desired notes and I’m afraid to say that some moments on this heartfelt collection of tracks have left me disengaged.

Harsh though that may sound, what makes it all the more frustrating is that hope abounds in the construction that something much more remarkable could be crafted here if the opportunity to employ some more state of the art sounds was available. Now, if I’m missing the point, then apologies all round, even if that thought being correct would cause me more concern and confusion. There’s no doubt that Buness and her musical partner Ken Roberts can compose some interesting, swooping melodies but nailed down by relentlessly repetitive programmed beats, what’s lacking for me is any real character or subtlety in music that feels like it should be all about those nuances. At times there are hints that this pair could break out into some sumptuous symphonic prog and yet not one of the tracks on display ever quite allows that hope to come to fruition.

Apologies to the pair at the centre of this project and album, because I never take any pleasure in giving less than favourable reviews. However, there is, to me, little to recommend here and certainly on a personal level absolutely no reason to spend time with either champagne or brass again.

1. Champagne And Brass
2. First Snowfall
3. Alone In The City
4. Have Our Dreams Come To This?
5. Close To My Heart
6. The Man Who Spoke 10,000 Truths
7. Evening Falls
8. Kyoto
9. Colorado Dreaming
10. Passing Sacred ground
11. Welcome To Life
12. AOC

Added: November 28th 2020
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Moon Over Mountain on facebook
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Language: english

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