If you’ve followed the Musical Bacon Calendar in years past, then you’ve heard of the artist here at #23: Spencer Krug, who in this particular instance is performing as Moonface. You know Krug from such bands as Sunset Rubdown, Swan Lake, or Wolf Parade. In all of those bands, I think it would be safe to say he was known as “the weird one.”

Krug has performed solo under a couple of different monikers. Moonface just happens to be the current iteration of what it is he’s doing now. I’ve been a fan of Krug since around 2005, when Wolf Parade and Sunset Rubdown-based recordings started cropping up. The last two Moonface albums he has recorded (one of which made the 2011 Musical Bacon Calendar) have felt like full-band affairs, with lots of keyboards and instrumentation. This new one is much more sparse, with just Krug singing and playing piano.

Krug’s voice is not for everybody. It warbles and fluctuates, like a vinyl record that is slightly warped, combined with a vibrato that undulates like a hummingbird. But it’s this strangeness, this sound you’re not familiar with or used to, that makes him endearing. It sounds raw, like an open wound, wrought with emotion. That voice, combined with the starkness of the piano, and you’ve got a combination that’s perfect for those quiet, introspective winter nights. This isn’t running music, which his previous Moonface albums could very well have been. This is lying on the couch, thinking about way too much kind of music. And I like that.

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24. Uncanney Valley by The Dismemberment Plan
25. Event II by Deltron 3030
26. Wise Up Ghost by Elvis Costello and The Roots
27. Us Alone by Hayden
28. Pure Heroine by Lorde
29. Shaking the Habitual by The Knife
30. False Idols by Tricky
31. Let’s Be Still by The Head and the Heart

2012 Musical Bacon Calendar
2011 Musical Bacon Calendar
2010 Musical Bacon Calendar
2009 Musical Bacon Calendar