Index of Moon Seven Times Reviews

Reviews of 7=49
RAYGUNissue number 19
The Moon Seven Times belongs to the school of thought that you can make your point with a whisper as well as with a scream. 7=49 is an exercise in serenity, with Lynn Caufield's [sic] poignant, pretty vocals telling stories about people she knows and things she sees, gliding over simply arranged acoustic instruments and hushed percussion. Electric guitar, bass and keyboards do play a definite role, but it's a non-aggressive one, as filigree and shadow instead of discord and rhyme.

There are 14 tracks listed on this album, but it delivers 27. The ones listed are actual songs - verse, chorus, etc.. with story lines and some sort of resolution. The unlisted tracks are odds and ends, works in progress, some with vocals, most without - and little ambient breaks that start nowhere and lead somewhere else. It takes the idea of adding bonus tracks to an art form, and even though I'm not sure what the point is, it's a pleasant way to end a pleasant song cycle.

-- Karen Woods


CMJ
MOON SEVEN TIMES 7=49 (Roadrunner, 225 Lafayette St., Ste. 407, New York, NY 10012/212-219-0077) -- Make fun of the name all you want, but the Moon Seven Times actually manages to live up to all the fanciful and ethereal imagery conjured up by its moniker. Fronted by lyricist/vocalist Lynn Canfield, the band is a manifestation of a distinct musical vision, as much a personal reflection as it is a collective presence. The Champaign, IL, quartet made its first appearance last year with ts self-titled album, showcasing a group capable of stirring up not only haunting musical soundscapes, but wistful and probing eddies of thought as well. Delicately produced by the band's drummer Brendan Gamble, 7=49 presents a considerably matured and crafted atmosphere of sound, allowing a soft, eclectic blanket of instrumentation to caress Canfield's emotive voice through explorations in lilting pop or more adventuresome journeys in dark emotion and shimmering beauty. Songs like "John" and "Knock" dive headlong into sweet, unabashed pools of guitar and vocal melody, "Desert Vineyards" stretches out with a whispery touch of melancholy, while "I'll Gather Flowers" frames Canfield's fragile and poetic honesty with a carefully layered drift of sound. 14 songs proper, 7=49 also contains 13 additional passages of quiet song fragments, bits of situational sound and ambient tones that unveil the band's more experimental inclinations to add subtle detail to its magical sound.

-- Colin Helms


SEPTEMBER 1994 VOL. 78, NO. 9
AUDIO7=49 The Moon Seven Times, ROADRUNNER RECORDS RR 9018, 73:24
Many bands have followed the siren call of Cocteau Twins, with jangly guitars, shimmering textures, insistent rhythms, and an ethereal lead singer. Among them was the Champaign/Urbana, Illinois-based Area, and now a group formed out of their ashes, The Moon Seven Times. Although singer Lynn Canfield is no Elizabeth Fraser, she's developed a slightly wider range than her former ethereal whisper, which helps The Moon Seven Times steer through a more driving sound. The edges are harder and the details are richer with acoustic guitars strumming against a country-ish electric or pointillistic delayed guitar cycles over military-like rhythm fragments.

Like the Cocteaus, The Moon Seven Times works in an area of texture and atmosphere, with lyrics being a tertiary concern at best.

-- John Diliberto


 M7X HOME PAGE