Artist: Young Moon
Title: Navigated Like the Swan
Label: Western Vinyl
Rating: 7.3

Trevor Montgomery, the man behind Young Moon is taking on his new alias for a new, brighter and more revitalizing sound. Following his album The Trickster (St. Ives) Navigated Like the Swan is a down tempo collection of yearnings and feelings.Western Vinyl portray Montgomery as a craftsman by day (he’s a tile setter) and musician by night – he uses vintage drum machines and synths “assembling things to fill empty spaces”.

The thirteen track album opens with a happy, purely instrumental track “The Crystal Text”. Montgomery’s croaky vocals aren’t heard until “Walk in White” in which they contrast with the smooth instrumental vibes. During “Winds Light” Montgomery sings “Tell me you love me, tell me I’m wrong, tell me the light in your eyes is not gone” it is one of the most heartfelt tracks on the album.

Guitar twangs take prominence in “Northern Earth” with no lyrics or vocals as in “The Ponds”; another instrumental track but more more lively, synth noises and bubbly, watery sound effects which make for an atmospheric piece.“A Reason” continues the romantic longing feel that is very apparent throughout Navigated Like the Swan; “Your hand looked like an angel’s when you asked me to dance”. Montgomery displaying every inch of emotion in his gravely singing style.

“Cold Day Solstice” has a folk feel with family story telling involved; “I was born on a cold day, on a dark winter solstice, yeah my pa was a trickster and my momma was a knight”. “Emma Jane” is a turn back to the sad love song Montgomery does so well. He sings about regrets and past relationships perhaps; “Emma Jane, my heart is broke just the same”.

The final track “Painting on Waves” is full of soothing guitar riffs and emotional descriptive language; “she has a painting of waves with no horizon, immaculate sunset goes down at her side, everything I’ve known, all that I’ve lost, everything falls apart sometimes”. A sad album but with a hopeful new voice, Young Moon is Montgomery’s more wistful and wiser older brother.

Reviewed by Heather Welsh.