Half a glance at Jess Joy and Andrew Martin would be enough for a reasonably astute mind to assess that there’s something fantastically unique about them, even if only musically speaking.
As the Los Angeles-based duo Moon Honey, between Joy’s supreme soprano and Martin’s glam-laced guitar worship, the two conjure and divine a surrealistic pillow of sound: equal parts psychedelic rock and pixie dust. It makes sense that Louisiana bore them, even more sense that LA now nurtures them where they have found a home along with a steadily growing fanbase amidst those as richly eclectic and artistic as they are. See their wonderfully weird video for their latest release, “Betta Fish,” for further.
And speaking of richly eclectic, it’s impossible to imagine that the music Moon Honey spins within their own universe would be any less cosmic than what they create, so Joy curated a Spotify playlist of songs that scratch far beneath the surface of easy listening, so dig into these…Deep Dark Classics from the Garden of Life:
“Every Day I Have To Cry” By Ike & Tina Turner
“This song sounds like 25 beautiful fairies playing imaginary instruments while drowning in a pool of reverb. Phil Spector at his best. Angelic.”
“Soul Fire” By Lee “Scratch” Perry
“The warped technology Lee Perry was creating in Jamaica in the early 70s has yet to be rivaled. A true legend. This song is demented and feels so good.”
“Wah Wah” By George Harrison
“What a song. This record shines an infinite light on my life. If I want to learn how to write a song, I listen to ‘All Things Must Pass’ on repeat.”
“Katie Cruel (In My Own Time)” By Karen Dalton
“It doesn’t get more real than Karen Dalton. When you’ve had your teeth knocked out in a bar fight, you can really sing the line ‘When I first came to town, they called me roving jewel / Now they’ve changed their tune, call me Katie Cruel.’”
“Plundered My Soul” By The Rolling Stones
“The Rolling Stones are my favorite band. This is a gem which was a throwaway track from The Exile Sessions. It’s pure fire and not sure how/why it didn’t make the cut. I listen to this track once a day.”
“‘Til I Die” By The Beach Boys
“This is the darkside of the Beach Boys and blew my mind when I heard it for the first time. This song is the lonely beach deep down your heart’s coastline.”
“Coyote” By Joni Mitchell
“This is sexy jazzy Joni and just plain fun.”
“Silver Dagger” By Joan Baez
“A dagger in the heart folk song for feminists who want to love but have a complex family upbringing.”
“Mama Roux” By Dr. John
“Born in New Orleans I have a deep attraction to the mystical voodoo charm of Dr. John. This record is his best and is highly underrated in the world of psychedelia.”
“Mona” By Bo Diddley
“I had a dream the other night that keith richards and i were driving around los angeles in a convertible listening to this song. he was driving. i asked him what is fav track from sticky fingers was – he said he couldn’t remember which songs were on that record.”
“In the Heat of the Morning” By David Bowie
“Pre-Ziggy Stardust David Bowie on the bbd with a string section arranged by Tony Visconti. So charmingly British and more reminiscent of the Kinks than Bowie’s later material.”
“Take Up Thy Stethoscope and Walk” By Pink Floyd
“I love 70s Pink Floyd but NOTHING beats Syd Barrett-era Floyd. This song is song is out of control and absolutely ahead of its time. A mind bender.”
“All Alone” By T. Rex
“This is the best T. Rex song no one has ever heard.”
“Mass Production” by Iggy Pop
“The Idiot is my favorite Iggy Pop album. This is a true art masterpiece. Dysfunctional, dissonant, careless and transcendent. Produced by David Bowie. A magical collaboration.”
“Journey In Satchidananda” By Alice Coltrane
“This record is most likely in my record player if you come to my house. Close your eyes for this one.”
“If I Were” By Vashti Bunyan
“A song honoring both sides of the story of giving up.”
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