I wonder whether this band got its name from the John Steinbeck novel or the Explosions In The Sky song? Interesting. The packaging for this EP is pretty cool; red paperboard with a three-color screen-print of people dancing in front of machine gears. The Moon Is Down plays some lo-fi punk rock; a la This Is My Fist. They have the right drum beats and guitar rhythm to fit into the folk punk genre (there’s even a harmonica solo in one song.) Sadly, there is one thing I couldn’t get past and it is that throughout the album, the singer sounds exactly like the vocals of Dead Milkmen singer Joe Jack Talcum in the song “Stuart.” And that’s a pretty ridiculous, memorable voice. Honestly, every time I listened to a song off this EP I would tune out and start thinking about burrow owls and gay Martians and, “POW! He was decapitated!” Sorry if that sounds like I’m just looking for a way to make fun of the band, but it’s the truth!
–Lauren Trout (The Automaton Records Media Conglomerate, myspace.com/thearmc)