We here at Sun 13 are big fans of David ‘Yorkie’ Palmer and his eclectic and varied musical output, taking in the likes of Moongoose and his own diverse solo career, so the fact that his latest project, Moon, with Mick Dolan, are currently having a moment is something that fills us with deep joy.
Moon’s debut album Green Lilac Park is a trip through the fertile imaginings of its creators and no doubt will be in many people’s Albums of the Year in a couple of months’ time, and from that album comes their latest single, The Spaniard.
The Spaniard is a laid back affair with gentle vocals that spend the song’s length telling the tale of the song’s titular character. There is a mariachi /spaghetti western feel to it all that adds to the story telling.
Moon Interview: “The Green Lilac Park is not just a place, it’s a state of mind”
It wastes no time getting started, as the song burst into life in a blaze of trumpets and a catchy “la la la” vocal before we start finding out just who the Spaniard is; “He rides where the wild wind blows, and his heart it’s made of stone. He’s a dreamer in a world, a world so bland.”
There is a Don Quixote slant to the lyrics as it hits the chorus, as it goes “Oh Sancho, he’s fallen down, watch them laugh as he hits the ground”, which leans into the possibility that, no matter how noble or aloof the verse might paint the Spaniard to be, it could be that he is a Don Quixote figure, and this nobility is all in his mind. Perhaps in reality he is a simple and misguided man and that his ‘squire’, or friend, sees the reality of people laughing at the Spaniard’s unbalanced personal vision of himself as an upstanding, inspirational figure.
The trumpet plays throughout the choruses and adds a lot to the music, crating the vibe of a more strident Pale Fountains. The “la la la” vocal reappears again towards the song’s end, a trick used by many a band aiming at huge crowd singalongs, and there is no reason this can’t actually happen when Moon take to the stage, something we eagerly look forward to.
The Spaniard is picking up good reviews and radio airplay, so there is no reason this should not come to pass. Moon have crafted a rich and textured song that will become an earworm long after it has stopped playing, which is always a sign of a well crafted tune.
Buy here – https://moon-liverpool.com/store/