Martin Courtney - Many Moons
- Written by Gareth Hack
Martin Courtney, frontman of Real Estate, here delivers his debut solo effort, Many Moons, a simplistically soft, psychedelic arrangement that contains moments of pure elegance and laid-back prowess.
This dreamy, constantly blooming and very much reverb-friendly feel is something that begins in album opener, ‘Awake’, and flows into each track thereafter. Clean guitars accommodate for brush drumming beats that act just as docile as Courtney’s breathy, layered vocals.
Each track on Many Moons tends never to stray too far from neighbouring songs which, depending on your stance, could be considered a thing of beauty or just too safe and unadventurous. Within the album, like many, there are stand out tunes. ‘Vestiges’ and ‘Northern Highway’ express more character and personality than other songs, not to mention, both contain hooks and melodies that will glue themselves to the inside of your head and will find difficulty migrating.
With each listen, the album becomes larger and brighter; more intense and yet more passive. Maybe this is a unique element of Many Moons that deserves honest admiration. More detailed attention and time can make songs spring up and come to life and that is exactly what Martin Courtney has achieved here.