One of the tightest duos of all time only gets tighter on their newest record. Mong Tong has always released cutting edge albums of future forward folk fusion and Sun Moon Darkness is no exception. It is a little groovier than some of their more experimental/new age work. In this way the record is more along the lines of their prodigious psychedelic live show, which remains one of the best sets of music I’ve ever seen. The percussion on here is unbelieve, the whole rhythm section is so expressive without lacking any weight. In fact it’s an unshakable foundation for building melodic riffs and runs that are some of the best in the group’s discography. The electronics and samples are not as bold and centered on this record as they are on the band’s previous work. The electronic stuff here is more about the details and textures sprinkled throughout.

Sun Moon Darkness is also a benefit record for Taiwanese non-profit Open Culture Foundation. OCF is a group advocating for citizens rights in technology and smart policymaking around digital security. They’re big advocates for something I’m quite passionate about, the distribution and use of open source software (especially in professional, commercial capacities.) From what I understand it’s similar to US organizations like the Electronic Frontier Foundation. In my opinion these technological issues are critical. Particularly the issues around citizens rights to use and create technology and infrastructure that benefits them instead of being funneled from birth into an exploitative ecosystem controlled by all powerful tech monopolies. So good job looking out Mong Tong! Vinyl was available for crowd funders and the digital is available name-your-price on the groups Bandcamp, go show them some love.