Albums by this artist

The Days Of Our Nights (1999)

Pup Tent (1997)

Concerts

February 3, 2001
Knitting Factory, New York

Luna

The Days Of Our Nights

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» JONATHAN COHEN | SENIOR EDITOR

Luna The Days Of Our Nights Beggars Banquet, 1999 RiYL: Velvet Underground/Lou Reed, R.E.M., Simon & Garfunkel, Galaxie 500

Formed in the wake of Galaxie 500's dissolution at the early part of the decade, Luna debuted in 1992 with Lunapark, an album of low-key tunes that didn't stray far from the Galaxie formula. Owing to Dean Wareham's quizzical lyrics and reserved voice and his band's slow, dreamy melodies, comparisons to the Velvet Underground were inescapable but far from problematic. After two EPs and another full-length, the band seemed to run out of energy on 1995's Penthouse, an uninspired effort with few memorable moments. But Luna returned to form in 1997 with Pup Tent, a gigantic leap forward that features some of the band's best songs. Raising the energy level considerably and offering such sparkling pop gems as "Beautiful View," Luna was back on track.

Produced by Grant Lee Buffalo alum Paul Kimble, The Days Of Our Nights heads in much the same musical direction as Pup Tent. The band seems much more comfortable playing louder and faster, and the songs bear the fruit. "4000 Days" sandwiches a steady rocker between a programmed drum intro and outtro, while opener and first single "Dear Diary" offers cool, rhythmic pop behind Wareham's diary-style lyrics: "I saw that girl again today / reading silly magazines / I saw that girl again today / singing songs of bubble gum."

"Hello Little One" recalls "Bridge Over Troubled Water"-era Simon & Garfunkel, while the gorgeous "Math Wiz" adds subtle layered vocals over a classic 4/4 pop foundation (think Ivy, minus lead singer Dominique Durand). Wareham continues to inject a strong helping of sarcasm (venom?) into his lyrics, but set against such low-key music, the sting creeps up leisurely. The perfect example is "Requiem For A Mouse," which sports lines like "I hate you so much / I could just die / your life is small / small as a grape." "Superfreaky Memories" is just that, a stream of disconnected observations and experiences that is Wareham's storytelling forte.

The Days Of Our Nights wraps up with a relatively straight-faced cover of the Guns 'N' Roses staple "Sweet Child O' Mine." Deftly straddling the line between sincerity and send-up, it's a fitting way to close an album that ranks as one of Luna's best.

JONATHAN COHEN | Jonathan Cohen co-created Nude As The News with his Indiana University mates Troy Carpenter and Ben French. When not traversing the globe for business and pleasure, he holds down the fort as a senior editor for Billboard in New York. Stop him and he just may ask, "what for lunch?"