Lay Low Moon, aka Sean Mckenna is an compelling artist from Boston Massachusetts who released the most riveting album we've heard to date! Lay Low Moon's new album titled “On This Day Last Year” is a indie folk collective that indulges your spirit into something compelling and unforgettable. Each song off this album plays a major role in developing the story of “On This Day Last Year”, with melodies that seep deep as you listen. The songs are rich, textured and lightly vulnerable to help capture the emotion needed for us to become hooked into the music.
The opening songs, “Late July” , “All Affirming”, and “Second Floor Apartment” pave a highlight on the strong songwriting skills Sean is equipped with. Each of these songs warrant there place in the album and is an intelligent decision for chronologically placement. The songs provide the foundation and initiation into “On This Day Last Year". It keeps you anticipating on what you’re going to hear next. Every great album needs a strong opening, with songs that are chronologically placed in the correct order to execute the sound and vision properly. In our opinion, it’s like walking in front of a store and seeing the window display of mannequins. If it attracts you, you’re bound to walk in the store right?
The next song “Knew” keeps that mellifluous and attractive appeal going while making you feel at home with the album. The warmth and comfort “Knew” provides is perfect to feeling at content with everything. By this time of listening, you’re all the way invested in “Lay Low Moon” and everything it has to offer. “On This Day Last Year” and “Meredith” both have a light-hearted rhythmic motion from the beautiful strings of the acoustic guitar, which captured us and had us moving and swaying along with the music! Sean shows strong versatility compared to the other releases off the album by adding a more upbeat and rapid tempo chord to the songs. Lay Low Moon's vulnerability is presented heavy in “Much Obliged” “Shadow On My Ceiling” and “Without You” however my personal favorite would undeniably be “Without You”. I just found myself touched by the melody and enticed by the vocals itself. Sean has this prepossessing vocal tone with a stylistic folk delivery and it sounds as if he’s singing in a cursive articulation. It’s quite mesmerizing but the acoustics from the guitar in “Without You” helped enhance the quality of the sound. Without You had us absolutely absorbed within the music and we couldn’t help but appreciate how Sean knew how to captivate his listeners. After warming our hearts with his heart-rendering vocals and riveting guitar chords, he brings a more bright and joyful presence with the next single “The Bottle”. The closing songs of “On This Day Last Year” seemed to be the closing story line of the entire album. “Simple Man” and “Thru & Thru” have a strong lyrical presence in which you’re naturally focusing on the detailed and progressing story he’s telling .. well, serenading. “On This Day Last Year” was a nice blend of soft acoustic ballads that shows off his mastery in sensitivity with more outgoing folk-like rhythms that demonstrates his diversity in conveying emotions yet all in all, completing the entire story of “On This Day Last Year”.
Check out the album, "On This Day Last Year" here. Read more about Lay Low Moon in our interview below!
Tell us a little bit about yourself Sean!
Lay Low Moon is a ‘band’ I started years back, as an outlet through which to perform songs I’d been writing, while I was still very new at songwriting, and admittedly not very good at it. Lay Low Moon gradually ended up just morphing into a moniker I would use to call my solo project, as keeping permanent band members in the loop proved to be a frustrating task. Today, I consider it a collective, including various friends who come and go — the central focus being the songs I bring to the table, which are always evolving.
Are there any key influences for your album “On This Day Last Year” ?
The only true singular influence of my album, ‘On This Day Last Year,' I could site would be whatever I was harboring during the time I was writing the particular songs that appeared on the album. Which ranged from resentment & longing to joy. These songs were sort of written in batches over the span of a few years, so I’m pleased they sound as cohesive as they do together on the same album – much credit due to the production of Daniel Radin, no doubt.
Musically, however, I’ve always held many of the great songwriters of the 1970s in quite high esteem. Most notably, Jackson Browne, Crosby Stills & Nash, and Joni Mitchell – and I think you can hear that.
In which particular moments of “On This Day Last Year” do you believe affects listeners emotionally the most!?
I have no way of knowing what would affect listeners the most, as I think that’s for them to decide. Although, from my perspective, I seem to be most affected by performing ’Thru & Thru’.
What does the album title reflect on the theme of “On This Day Last Year” ?
The title of the album, ‘On This Day Last Year’ is an ode to the fact that I’m nostalgic from the top of my head to the tips of my toes, which allows me, or perhaps causes me to ascribe meaning to the smallest memories I have from my past. And quite a few of the songs that appear on the album were written from a nostalgic point of view. And I suppose it’s hard not to get a bit nostalgic while performing them.
What is your favorite song on the album? Why?
As for my favorite song on the album, it’s a toss up between “Second Floor Apartment” and “Thru & Thru.” “Second Floor Apartment” because of its feel and rawness, both in subject matter and vocal delivery — something I wish I felt more capable of recreating more regularly. And “Thru & Thru” because I felt like I captured what I was trying to get across what I was trying to emote in a really short song. Without trying too hard. I was able to do so, in what felt like a very effective way, in a way that feels very off the cuff. And the song was very easy to write.
What’s next for you!?
Taking it one day at a time. Although I’m hoping to embark on a tour of the North East within the next year.
Connect with Lay Low Moon on social media!
Instagram: www.instagram.com/laylowmoon
Facebook: www.facebook.com/laylowmoon
Twitter: www.twitter.com/laylowmoon
Website: www.laylowmoon.com