Coming on like the bubbly tidal shifts of some slow celestial ocean, Thomas Mudrick’s new single "Moonbeam" might be favorably compared to the lingering strains of one of those dreamy, swirling, melodic earworms that one has in the seconds and moments after waking from a haze-ridden dreamstate. And like that slow ascent from the subconscious to the conscious plane, as the arcs and angles and shafts of morning sunlight come further and clearer into view, "Moonbeam" spends its three and a half minutes of runtime bleeding slowly more and more coherent. Blending one part psych neo-romanticism (think the cool, continental landscapes of Air), one part wistful ambience courtesy of late-era Robin Guthrie and the like, and one part bleary-eyed West Coast seafoam hues and palates, Mudrick’s skyfall sojourn is both intermittent soundtrack fodder as well as totally encapsulated inner voyage replete with its own array of compasses and sextants. An accomplished musician of the most eclectic of orders, Mudrick’s work is nothing if not all across the psych map, and his ear for all things space is reiterated here, presaging a 2013 solo full-length on Portland-based Ten Dollar Recording Company – all right!

From the opening 16-bit computer lead-in, Mudrick’s guitar slowly oscillates through the chorus and delay overtones as the other pieces fall slowly into place. Synth hum, deep bass, and a bevy of effects-laden tracks and tracers coalesce slowly into a feeling of being ferried along by rushing water, face-up and floating, as the sunbeams flit down the boughs and branches of green above. "Moonbeam" is aptly extraterrestrial, just as much the soundtrack to the Mars rover as it is a nicely concocted slice of space-age neo-psychedelia, and though the track could very well continue on for a spell longer, its shorter run-time keeps it all the more tantalizing, a momentary segue way on the path to other universal nodes. With "Moonbeam", Mudrick again demonstrates an ear for melody and feel that is always ahead of the curve while remaining pleasantly nostalgic for musical epochs passed, all while he tosses out more solid tunes in a stint than many a band could hope for across a raft of albums. Pop this in your earbuds and get yer head on straight. (REED BURNAM, April 13, 2013)

Release Date: April 15, 2013

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