To be honest, I have no idea how to characterise David 9 Lunas, I can only say that the songs on this EP have been bringing bigger smiles to my face than anyone else I have heard recently.
He has a really pleasant voice, full of tuneful colour and an accent I couldn’t quite place but might be London or Bristol-lite and he writes songs that tell stories of his life and just charm the heck out of the listener.
Opening track, ‘Mushroom Tea’, is possibly not about tea made from buttons or chestnut mushrooms but it swings along merrily and the refrain “I’m just sittin’, watching the freaks go by” takes you straight to balmy summer days, imbibing just a little too much and in the company of like types. It has echoes of Donovan and a delicious sixties groove. Going right from that into a sublime lullaby is absolutely not what you would expect but he carries it off with a simple backing and all the focus on his voice – untrained and not quite perfect but just right for the song.
He peppers his songs with little surreal pinpricks and that adds to the charm of his music – this is really what he is about, charm and whimsy and somehow he makes something that lingers long in the memory.
He can get serious as on ‘Wildfire’, subtle and jazzy with tons of atmosphere as well as the hippy stuff but the live version of ‘Angel In A Tree’ shows the frustrated Bolan who also resides deep in his soul.
David 9 Lunas is good for your soul, he makes music that allows you to smile and brings you joy and puzzlement in equal measure. In a fair world he would be a national treasure
