Heirloom Monsters - The C in the Moon

Heirloom Monsters

The C in the Moon
self-released; 2017

4.0 out of 5

By Matt Jensen

Heirloom Monsters is the solo project for Dana Lacono. He has been in a number of bands and toured with notable acts like Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and The Rapture. His release The C in the Moon is an album with a back story that has to be mentioned he order to understand how it came to fruition.

​Lacono's wife of ten years passed away about two years ago. Lacono stated “I made this record in an attempt to try to understand what I was experiencing, and to try to feel connected to something again.” That alone puts a weight to the music that might change your perspective in how you listen to it. For example, any fan of Nick Cave has to be thinking about the events of what happened to him while listening to Skeleton Key.

The C in the Moon has a very unique sound. The emotional currents were ambiguous and hard to define in a very enjoyable way. I normally can pinpoint a musician’s influence within the first song but I was lost in thought as to where this fit in my head. In all honesty that is high praise. Above almost all else I appreciate an artist who makes me think “what the fuck is this.”

The album opens with “Follow the Swallow” which is catchy, slightly dark and mantra-like. I actually was reminded a bit of the latest album Black Star by the late legend David Bowie. Lacuna's initial vocals are a frail whisper. He sings “Light your fire, don't burn it / Embers glow, and lay low / Permanent things aren't permanent / Catching my eye, a swallow.” I thoroughly enjoyed the layers on this song and it grabbed my attention. 

”Purgatory (I'm the Ghost)”is haunting yet it is juxtaposed by upbeat rhythms. The song feels like it could float away at some point if there wasn't any percussive elements which reflects the title of the song. 

“The Bubble” is a collage of manipulated vocal snippets while “Blown Out” is way out there in an experimental terrain that sounds like sound samples from an alien planet. “Chthonic Love, Part II”  and “Ode” contains powerful lyrics that will make you shed a tear.

What a bizarre situation we are all in. To be alive at all is such an overwhelming realization that it can lead down a rabbit hole of questions that our species can barely fathom. Art is a platform that allows us to illuminate these abstractions while contemplating concrete truths  and I think Lacono has done that with The C in the Moon.

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