By: Jedd Beaudoin
ou know the old saying about how just when you think everything's been said and done someone comes along and surprises you, right? That can certainly be said of Joel Hoekstra who, with The Moon Is Falling, has taken the beast known as "The Guitar Record" and turned it on its ear. While Hoekstra continues the time-honored tradition of evoking a variety of moods and and a variety of genres, The Moon Is Falling emanates from a single, focused voice that blasts listeners with its complexity, integrity and honesty.
The variations within that voice, the various tones it strikes are incredible as there are moments of something approaching traditional jazz (moments of the gorgeous "Fire Island") to contemporary fusion in the vein of Planet X (X drummer Virgil Donati lends his unique groove and oddly melodic drumming to this album) to tres bizarre rock-ish grooves ("Baboons Are Dangerous" and "9/11," both of which are reminiscent of Primus) and even something approximating hip-hop ("Snoop"). The ballads here would be referred to as obligatory in the hands of a lesser guitarist but when Hoekstra heads for said terrain, you get the feeling that it's because the time is right, not just because he has to.
In short, The Moon Is Falling is a fine, strange beautiful release, as good as Joe Satriani's Flying In A Blue Dream or Planet X's recent Moonbabies. Hoekstra deserves wider acclaim and The Moon Is Falling is a step in the right direction.
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