4 out of 5

Label: Prestige

Produced by: Moondog (recorded by?)

…Was this the wrong Moondog album to start with? It must be. I saw the people buying Moondog material. They were very sophisticated. And, y’know, he’s classical, so don’t I need to be a more refined sort to qualify for listening? (At least on select occasions, during which I’m required to stroke my beard and reflect on… adagios? or read, uh, Proust? I clearly have a very non-bias opinion regarding listening to classical music.) I knew he had this whole mystical NY denizen thing going on, but again, based on his listeners, I just assumed that was fancy dressing on some very properly dry stuff.

But: Moondog (the album) turns out to be these short, delightfully whimsical clips of Moondog’s constructed instrumentation applied to Earthy, organic little bops of beats and clicks and keys. It’s very reminiscent, to my more modernly-inclined ears, to Pierre Bastien, who shares an affinity for self-designed orchestration, but, in fitting with the song titles’ references to nature, and animals, it’s much looser and free-ranged, Moondog finding a particular tempo and set of sounds that appeal (touched with chanting vocals here and there), and then letting a moment play out for as long as it has wings, which is generally 2 minutes or so. It’s not very “deep,” per se, and doesn’t have standout moments or tracks, but it’s also not background music, and isn’t to be ignored: it feels very purposeful in its desire to set a mood and feeling; perfect walking around music to immerse your ears in while your eyes take in either the greenery of a park or the grimy mysteries of a big, bustling city.