Noonish Moon - Chapman Street

I am of course biased. I love my friends and i love their music. Right at the top of the list is Steven Stark and Noonish Moon. He is an Oklahoma composer, multi-instrumental performer, teacher, and all around great guy. Today is the release of his crowd funded EP, Chapman Street, and i'm going to gush about it.

Noonish Moon is his pseudonymous indie-pop project. It's hard to pin it to a specific genre because he's a serious composer writing synthy pop-rock, but it's peppy, indie, dreamy, literate, nuanced, modern feelings music, the kind where a Prince cover seems completely appropriate (and he did one not too long ago!).

I put my money where my mouth is and helped fund Chapman Street, and you're looking at my drawings as the artwork (for which i made a little money). How cool is that!? I also have the benefit of watching the whole project unfold from the beginning and occasionally sharing my thoughts behind the scenes, so to speak.

The new EP is heavily influenced by African guitar pop (Marshall Munhumumwe/Four Brothers Band style), and a switch from Telecaster to Jazzmaster. Guitar is obviously much more prominent on this album than on many earlier tracks, and metrical confusion is an important part of the fun. I think he nailed it, and it's a fantastic addition to the already established ethos of the "band" itself.

The four tracks are quite different from each other, but unfold in a completely intuitive way. It comes across as a short little love story: a nostalgic memory, an infatuation, a not wanting it to end, and an instrumental that watches them drive off into the sunset. I'm truly impressed at how complete and satisfying the story he's crafted comes across in only 4 movements; it definitely is a single work, a coherent album in my mind.

I know it sounds ridiculous when i say that if i had a few thousand dollars to spend i'd use it to press this EP on one side, and one of mine on the other and hand them out to anyone, but that's a real thing i'd do if i won the lottery.

I'm sharing the youtube link here so anyone can go hear it, but i implore you to go buy the Chapman Street EP at cd baby and support great art made from the sheer love of making it. I think Steven and i are kindred spirits in that regard, and i'm beyond thrilled to share it with you.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mSROkTRHmj_MUHPGSk12a2K-CTya1IyG8

https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/noonishmoon11

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