Luna is one of those horrifyingly overlooked great bands. You know, those that have an excellent sense of song-craft, those that can float songs on a stylish blend of air and notes, and can induce a giddy sense of discovery when you first hear them. In the realm of great undercurrent bands like Television, Flaming Lips, and others that are unfortunate enough to never draw a mainstream audience, even though you know they should, Luna has produced an impressive collection of albums that are as varied in style as they were in personnel over their career. Unfortunately, as time ate away at their core, they became unable to produce albums as compelling as their early material is.
Rhino and Elektra have collected a string of songs, some perfect and others less representative of albums then they should be, as the end product of a band that spoke to those who could hear. Like The Feelies (drummer Stanley Demeski played for The Feelies once upon a time) and The Urban Verbs, a generation before Luna, they used an eclectic style to wrap around their lyrics. Musically explorative in an encompassing way, Luna and Dean Wareham was the ‘90s baton of earlier bands like Television, whose Tom Verlaine assisted on some music, several cuts, of which, are heard on this compilation.
As an aside, there is a notation on this album found written for the Verlaine assisted tune, “23 Minutes in Brussels,” that states that critics claimed the musical similarities between Television and Luna were unmistakable. That is true and yet not. Musically, there is a clear separation – Luna and Velvet Underground has much more in common; listen to “Tiger Lily” for distinct proof – from Television. What is true in their similarities is the style and depth of their music, their approach. Distant but with something to say in a casual sort of way, both bands spoke distinctly to their audiences in ways that few bands can. One cannot help but feel that this style of music is no longer viable as the audience is no longer there. The atmosphere that nurtured a band like Luna has been lost in a different kind of angst, a noisy three-chord one or a melancholic band that is lyrically bankrupt.
The Best of Luna has 17 songs on it drawn from 7 studio albums beginning with Lunapark from 1992 and finishing with 2004’s Rendezvous. While the selection of songs is likely to draw ire from fans, it is sufficient to provide fans with a nice grouping of Luna tunes (fans should have all of the releases in any case, thereby able to create mix discs as the mood strikes). It is, personally, difficult to choose a perfect playlist of Luna songs in any set, with few exceptions and so Rhino’s compile works well despite having only one tune from Romantica. However, it does make for a grand introductory collection for those unlucky masses that have yet to enjoy the unique world of Luna.
Here’s your big chance.
