Shannen Moser wants to have a conversation: with their past selves, their present self, their undesignated, unfurling future selves; with the trees that adorn their old street, and the door they used to call home; with the shadows of lovers-turned-to- friends and the overwhelming cacophony of abrupt change. They’re drawing a map but the port of call is cloudy and indistinct. It’s while traveling along these nebulous contours that their latest album “The Sun Still Seems To Move” forms a kind of physicality, of outstretched giving hands, that offers a guide through the fog. Here, Moser examines the disorien- tating, challenging task of trying to hold onto ourselves – and everything else – all at once. But this isn’t a fatalistic journey of melancholy or apprehension. Instead, Moser celebrates the small steps and the unwavering perseverance that makes it all worthwhile.
“The Sun Still Seems to Move” is an album of reckoning with death and trauma, with all the shapes that love can take and all the people we’ve been and will become. It’s a record of regret and relief, unlocking every facet of feeling with an unabashed yet tender vigor. It’s watching the clouds bend to a new shape and still staying outside. It’s cry-laughing on the phone to an old friend, and trying to trust yourself again. By leaning into–and being at the whim–of this kind of vul- nerability, Moser is able to navigate the spaces between the losses to produce a truly honest and lustral work. “Holding space for all of these feelings is confusing, but I think that’s what makes the world turn,” they explain. “It’s love and grief existing in tandem and it feels like this never ending, switch- ing one out for the other.”
Moser’s previous albums “Oh, My Heart” (2017) and “I’ll Sing” (2018) were praised for their careful, intimate arrangements that showcased their sharp, interpersonal narration and time- less lush vocals. On “The Sun Still Seems To Move”, their first release in four years, Moser takes the arresting simplicity of their past LPs to form a malleable foundation, and combines it with orchestral swells and poignantly-rich harmonies.
Been sitting on this for awhile and I’m SO excited to share this with you all. “I’ll Sing” comes out but you can stream it on band camp today! right now! So much time and energy and love was put into making this. The biggest, most loving thank you to everyone involved, to anyone who has ever supported me, challenged me, and made me feel capable. Two years ago I made a barely 19 minute record and today I get to share with you a 40 minute record. Time is cool and cruel but this is a very good day.
Released September 30th, 2022
The Fat Angel Sings 