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Black Sun Productions, "Once in a Full Moon (Full Version)"

The full 33 minutes of Once in a Full Moon stands as Black Sun Productions finest musical moment to date. This is an ambitious piece of moon music that covers the territory between lunacy, ambition and grace.

Anarcocks

Those familiar with Massimo and Pierce’s website will recognize one of the central melodies of "Once in a Full Moon" from the site’s intro. As a welcome, it is like the ominous opening of a door into the site; here it is the full-blown panoramic view from the cliff edge into their world. This great thematic piece moves through several passages which all come together to form this greater whole. The music moves from swinging breeze chimes and bass choir passages that part the moon-obscuring clouds to Massimo and Pierce’s anything-but-innocent choirboy vocals. Their (almost) signature soundclash of percussive clangs, softer electronic pops and liquid sounds filter into the mix like invisible stitches, making this instantly recognisable.

Even though the drowned version of their "Johnny Over the Sea" comes after this heavily involving and lengthy listen, it still holds its own. With the song’s intro not so much drowned as pixel-fucked, the song grows to reveal greater space than "Once in a Full Moon." Broadcast from a distant shore, the droning undercurrent sounds keep a tense edge of loss and longing fresh in the mind. It might be reading a little too much into things, but this could be taken as another paean to the late Jhonn Balance. If it is, this Brecht piece (remade from BSP’s own Operttamorale) is a fitting tribute.

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