About

“This is not a split album. Shadows is the curious offspring of MoE and The Observatory, a radiant chase after light and darkness, casting amorphous, illusory paths of Indian carnatic loops and heavy narcotic gamelan dreams. Containing just three songs, the album explores a hauntology of sounds, a melange of evocative synths, disembodying voices, percussion, and a ton of guitars from the most rancorous to the more profound. Wandering along the length of spaces and in between, Shadows emerges from the womb of a collective subconscious containing all that is waiting to be manifested.Serendipitously we play, freed from the mortal coil.” – Bandcamp

The Observatory

The current constellation of The Observatory are vibrations of shifting rhythms, oscillators, gamelan and layered guitars, with trance and repetition at the heart of their riff. The impetus of The Observatory is constant reinvention. Since their formation in 2001, the band has gone from folk electronica to prog to avant rock, taking a stylistic sledgehammer to each and every one of their previous releases, approaching a more genre defiant sound in recent years. Texturally complex and visceral, the group draws inspiration from their Southeast Asian roots and contemporary heroes of new music and art to create a riveting concoction of potent extremes. Aside from album production, The Observatory also nurture collaborative work with artists of different media and disciplines. Playfreely and Anitya are ongoing experimental initiatives by the group.

MoE

MoE For nearly 10 years, 11 releases and hundreds of concerts in close to 30 countries, all over Europa, Asia, Australia and Mexico, MoE has become the band to cross borders, both in terms of music and in geography. With collaborations with artists such as Keiji Haino, Pain Jerk, Lasse Marhaug, Okkyung Lee, The Observatory and sharing the stage with acts like Incapacitants, Merzbow, Melt Banana, Lydia Lunch, MoE has for a long time proven to be the band that builds bridges and brings the heritage from early experimental crossover rock acts such as Pink Floyd and Henry Cow to 80s bands such as DNA, Sonic Youth, Black Flag, SWANS and many others. With a fundament as a rock solid power trio, MoE delivers a lot more both in terms of musical experiments and in performance. Both as a live act and on recordings, this powerful, versatile and dynamic trio always leaves room for the unexpected.

The Observatory x MoE

“The two bands have followed each other since 2012, through pivotal phases, necessary detours, countless tours, records and meetings, and has become of monumental importance for each other as friends and bands. How to make the two bands meet for real in music, composing and arranging? Making a group sound without taking away the individual voices. Being equal built on the strengths from both bands. Through this collaboration we were facing each other on a creative level where we have no skin, showing and sharing creative ideas on an early stage with the aim to make something bigger than both bands. I felt we all went into the process with a feeling of deep respect and understanding, and an excitement. Would we show too much respect, too much understanding and making the music tamed? How to maintain the core of each song yet morph into the unknown territory? It was a collective process, the equality of every voice. From working relentlessly and profoundly through our years as a band with always creating new material, this process had such a different feel. More organic, joyful, tough and easy at the same time. Requiring other sides from us. It felt like this collaboration was destined to happen and also for it to happen in this way.”

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