On September 27th, The Halem Albright Band released Blue Moon Confessions, an album which combines funky 80s sounds with timeless themes and hard-hitting lyrics. Blue Moon Confessions is the third studio album from the band, with its vintage photographic cover and groovy guitar solos, it’s straight out of 1983 in the most original and innovative way possible.
The album opens with the fantasy-esque guitar solo of “Come Back”, an upbeat track that’s reminiscent of classics like Bowie and The Police, but with an energy that’s all new.
The album then evolves into a mixture of Western romantic songs like “Cheyenne”, a track about being on the run but unable to stay away from the one you love, and funky video game soundtrack-esque tunes like “Some Kind of Life”, which is so atmospheric and groovy. The repetition of “where did she go?” bouncing from ear to ear creates an immersive experience that carries throughout the entire album, allowing the listener to live inside of its time machine magic.
The band shows the variation of their style within this selected 80s sound with tracks like “Lost in the Breeze”, a light and breezy track that’s the definition of head-swaying goodness. The Halem Albright Band perfectly captures the feeling of relaxing on a secluded beach with this sweet track.
One of the most notable tracks on this album is “Neighbor Take Flight”, an experimental track with the groove of Mort Garson’s Plantasia, but with a retro video game-esque flair. The track consists of five and a half minute killer instrumental work that every 80s rock n roll head will enjoy. Albright truly displays his immense talent as a composer and guitarist in this track.
“Sendoff 14” is a pining love song that belongs in an 80s romcom, so hopeful and groovy and sure to make the person of your dreams fall madly in love with you if you sing it to them with a boombox on your shoulder. The track also has a guitar solo made for slow dancing under the stars with the repetition of the line “You lift me up”.
“Burgundy and Gold” holds a reverb that makes the sadness of this breakup track feel like it’s coming at you through a radio in your teenage bedroom. “Come next to me and I’ll play the song that you like to sing”. This song will take so many people back to their first loves and high school relationships. The loving simplicity of the lyrics gives this track so much charm.- “I’ll paint the colors you want to see- burgundy and gold, just don’t let me go”. This track also includes a somber saxophone solo, giving it its own unique sound apart from the rest of the tracks.
A personal favorite of mine on this album is “Not Yet”. It’s an easy yet fast-moving groove to it that’s impossible not to dance to. With the repeated line “Were you in my dream?” and the synth-y, flowing guitar break to match, this track transports listeners into a romantic, retro dreamscape.
“God” is an incredible stand-out on this album. The album’s only acoustic, folk-style track, it’s a deep introspective about looking back on life and feeling time slip through your fingers, wishing you could go back to every good moment and live it again for the first time. One of Albright’s best lines, and one of the lines in the song that best solidifies this idea is when Albright sings “all the big things I could ponder, one that can’t escape my mind is how a slowly dying flower knows when to catch the breeze and fly”. And he strikes listeners’ hearts again at the end of the song with the lines “them good old days don’t make you younger. Them good old days still let you die. I only wish to hold you longer”.
The album closes with “Werewolf on Strike”, a track that describes the loss and betrayal of either a lover or a friend. Albright sings “I never thought that I would ever find someone quite like you” in a hopeful and loving tone, then follows it up with “I never thought that you would start a fire like that; I guess you would”, echoing a sentiment very close to home for so many people and breaking the hearts of listeners.
Blue Moon Confessions completely took me by surprise. It’s funky and fun and emotional and calming all in one. Definitely one of the best new albums I’ve heard in a long time.
Reviewed by Steph Stone
