Moon and Aries is a transatlantic duo, pairing Canadian singer-songwriter Jordana Moon with German composer and producer Tom Aries. “High Noon” is a delightful early sample of their upcoming EP, Prairie Souls.
“High Noon” is a song about the desert, but not in the way you’d expect. There are no Western guitars or the familiar mix, but the landscape and its vast sense of emptiness are still present. Peter J. Mitchell plays guitar and Hannah Marchand plays saxophone, and they both take their time building up the track. There’s a slow beat underneath, and the saxophone comes in and out almost excitedly. The steady rhythm feels organic, and the combination of sounds stays with you.
Set on top of this are Jordana’s mesmerizing vocals. Her layered, breathy voice carries the bluesy tune flawlessly, dipping up and down so smoothly it almost feels as though her voice is floating out at you as she sings — “The time is right/I’m coming out of hiding.” Layered onto this are pieces of shimmering synth, dancing across the track tantalizingly. The surreal quality of the track is almost reminiscent of a mirage — you are walking through a desert, and this song is the floating, magical promise of cool water that keeps you walking through the blazing heat.
The production strikes just the right balance between constructed and organic, evoking the vast open space that is being sung about. The saxophone is perhaps the most delightful element of the track — never taking the lead, just floating along with everything else. It’s less than four minutes long, and leaves you wanting more
As the listener, all you have to do is press play on this track. Once chosen, the gorgeous atmospheric music with the floating, magical vocals wrap diffuse themselves into your space, and linger long after the track ends.
Listen to the track here:
