JULY 2008 ONLINE EDITORIALS

Luna Trick - Hoar Frost Sheen

By Nathan Harper

There’s a fine line between genre hopping and eclecticism and Daniel Staniforth, the one- man creative force behind Luna Trick, doesn’t always walk it with the caution he should. According to his bio he’s a classically trained cellist, however guitars and synthesizers are the primary sounds heard on his latest CD, Hoar Frost Sheen.

In his bio he makes reference to both Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails as inspirations, though why he omitted Barry Manilow remains a mystery. A couple of songs have a big, showy sound, with “Tears and Vino” in particular really channeling the party-boat feel, replete with horn section and steel drums. This isn’t bad per se, though it’s a synthesizer producing the tropical feeling, so the air of drunkenly passing out on a buffet table isn’t as full as it could be. Also, it’s just kind of hard to believe his darker numbers when his musically lighter moments are so light.

Lyrically he crosses the spectrum, from politics to love, and while he comes through with a good line here and there, his overall insights rarely penetrate. Vocally, Staniforth needs more conviction in his delivery – at a few points on the beginning of the record he uses proto-rapping vocals and ends up sounding more like Debby Harry than Anthony Kiedis. Having the artistic chops to pull off this kind of variety is a rare thing, and if Staniforth is to make it work for him he’d do better to stick to his strengths, tight rock numbers, and build from there.