Detroit duo Moonrisers—guitarist Libby DeCamp and drummer Adam Schreiber—deliver a debut that feels both ancient and immediate with Harsh & Exciting. Produced by Dan Auerbach at his Easy Eye Sound studio in Nashville, the album captures the duo in a series of intimate, atmospheric performances, often recorded in a century-old house that seems to breathe with them. The result is a record that reads less like a collection of songs and more like a wandering, instrumental journey through shadowed fields and sunlit hollows.
DeCamp’s guitar work dominates with a voice all its own, shifting effortlessly from country-blues slide lines to muted, finger-picked passages reminiscent of early folk revivalists, while Schreiber’s drumming is simultaneously restrained and commanding—often framing the music with the thump of a heartbeat or the subtle shuffle of desert winds. Tracks like “Further Down” highlight the duo’s ability to conjure melancholy with minimal means, and the gospel-infused medley “Lift Him Up/Mother’s Last Word” bridges early 20th-century spirituals with contemporary sensitivity.
The album’s strength lies in its spaciousness. Harsh & Exciting rarely overwhelms; it allows silence and room to exist as part of the soundscape, letting the listener’s imagination wander in tandem with the music. Songs like “All Your Hiding” and “Circle of the Seasons” evoke ghostly landscapes, their textures simultaneously earthy and ethereal, while “I Came Here to Be Alone” hints at DeCamp’s singer-songwriter sensibilities with a tender, Van Morrison-like glow.
While instrumental, the album is deeply narrative, moving through moods of longing, reflection, and quiet revelation. Moonrisers demonstrate an intuitive chemistry and a nuanced grasp of roots traditions, crafting a record that lingers long after it ends—a modern homage to time-worn musical landscapes, executed with precision and soul. – Jason Felton
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AsfanNvD9g&list=RD_AsfanNvD9g&start_radio=1