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
