The Lone Bellow’s “Half Moon Light” Lights Up Brooklyn

The Lone Bellow Signs Vinyl Versions of “Half Moon Light” / photo by Howard B. Leibowitz

The Lone Bellow celebrated the official release of their fourth album, Half Moon Light, by performing an acoustic set at Rough Trade NYC in Williamsburg, Brooklyn  on February 7, 2020. Their set included “Wash It Clean,” featuring Brian Elmquist on lead vocals; “Just Enough to Get By,” highlighted by Kanene Donehy Pipkin’s powerful and searing  vocals and  ended with “Good Times,” which Zach Williams introduced by telling the crowd that there were “a lot of hums in this song.”

On the Rough Trade Stage / photo by Howard B. Leibowitz

Lone Bellow fans packed the iconic venue, not only to hear the  trio’s live set, but also to grab a copy of  the vinyl  version and get them signed by  Williams, Pipkin and Elmquist , after their live performance.

About the Album

Produced by Brooklyn alumnus Aaron Dessner (The National), who also assisted in the writing of four of the songs, Half Moon Light is something of a concept album, with its overlapping themes of catharsis, redemption and comfort among family and friends. The Lone Bellow’s signature three-part harmonies continue to be a hallmark of the band, while Williams’ lead vocals seem to be a little more restrained this time around — to great effect.

In the cathartic “Count On Me,” the album’s first single, Williams urges a friend to “Let it break you, let it help you lay down what you held onto.” Likewise in “Friends” he pays tribute to those who “help me feel the love I’m holding and let go of the pain,” while the refrain on the wistful “Enemies” goes, “We should have been enemies.” The upbeat “I Can Feel You Dancing,” meanwhile” finds him “two-stepping on the ceiling.”

“Illegal Immigrant,” featuring another strong Pipkin vocal, sheds a hopeful light on what for many appears to be a hopeless situation. The de facto title track is the aforementioned, bittersweet “Wash It Clean,” with Elmquist singing, “Time is growing shorter / you’re reaching for your keys / half moon light over your shoulder / in the canyon that you made.”

“The Eastern Gate”  crops up on the album as the “Intro,” “Interlude” (about halfway through) and “Finale.” It’s a century-old hymn that, in keeping with the overall optimistic tone of the album, suggests that there may be something to look forward to even after the ultimate tragedy, death.