Lunistice Alignments is a fascinating, deep listening experience. MMM is a new trio consisting of Scottish sound artist Gayle Brogan (of Pefkin, Burd Ellen fame), Shropshire-based guitarist Elizabeth Still (Haress), and guitar wizard and producer Nick Jonah Davis. The three artists discovered a combined interest in ancient megalith sites around the UK and travelled to the Outer Hebridean Isle of Lewis, home of the 5,000-year-old Calanais Standing Stones, where they recorded this immersive album.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, given the combined experience present, the record covers a lot of sonic ground, with each of the six tracks occupying a very different space and mood. A good comparison is Lunar Tempel and The Re-Gleam. Although both tracks utilise the versatile sound of the electric guitar, the sound is starkly different. Lunar Tempel deceives with a very brief and light intro, before crunching, overdriven guitars barge in and occupy the space with rangy, improvised-sounding vocals. As the piece develops, the soundscape along with the vocal parts intensifies, giving the music an unnerving, sacrificial feel. Conversely, the following The Re-Gleam, immediately calms us with tidal field recordings before sharp, high-string sounds join, bringing a minerality that blends beautifully with the sparse, modified guitar sound. Further on, subtle slide playing lends a hint of conventional music, with the picked notes evoking serene imagery of waves and shards of sunlight. Gorgeous.
Elsewhere, Starshift and Moonrise use electronic drones, resembling bagpipes in places, to build a powerful soundscape that is underpinned by super-low drones, mid-range sounds, and high shimmers of celestial pulses, all combining to bring a tapestry that manages to be finely woven yet light in body.
Moodier is Horneblende and Quartz, a low and slow piece built upon another shoreline field recording, this time bringing a cave-like feel to the sound. Quite bluesy in character, Nick’s spare electric guitar playing layers deliberately picked lines with scratches and fragmented licks, all the while contending with industrial swirls and ghostly sounds.
Man! This is such an interesting and arresting recording; so many moods, textures, and layers fit together to make a seamless whole. Somehow sounding ancient and contemporary, light and dense, light and dark, these six tracks fit in a lot of music, expression, and experimentation. MMM ask for close attention and repay it in full – fantastic.
Lunistice Alignments (May 1st, 2026) Self Released
Bandcamp: https://mmmtheband.bandcamp.com/album/lunistice-alignments