EL VY
Return To The Moon

Matt dances in a quirky manner along the streets of Venice Beach, dressed in white and wearing sunglasses. Brent, on the other hand, lounges at the amusement park and enjoys the fabulous Californian weather on a sunny beach, armed with a book and flip-flops. Fun and elegant at the same time, ironic and witty.

Matt and Brent. Two longtime friends, both accomplished musicians. Two friends capable of creating their side-project and making it as interesting as their main bands (The National and Ramona Falls). EL VY (pronounced el-vai) was born this way, with two friends who decided, after many years, to play together and bring to life a creature of their own. EL VY has the aplomb and ironic yet profound lyrics of The National, and the funky and whimsical vein of Ramona Falls. EL VY is the most successful side-project of recent years.

Within the eleven tracks of Return To The Moon, there are some of the catchiest choruses of the year, like the title-track placed at the beginning and the subsequent, super ironic “I’m The Man To Be” (whose video inspired the introduction of this review) which reminds me a lot of Beck’s quirky and crooked funk at the end of the nineties.

There is a desire to experiment, to have fun. There is a desire, on the part of Matt Berninger, to shake off the role of the poised and chic singer, showing in this album his most playful and non-sensical, yet always damn engaging, lyrics. There is a desire to make an album without rules: Brent Knopf enjoys playing many genres together, playing with and mixing them at his pleasure. The funk and synth seem to clash with Matt's baritone voice, yet every song turns out perfect, enjoyable, and passionate.
The sinister sound of “Silent Ivy Hotel” is simply brilliant, with a lanky rhythm that sticks in your head right away. The gentle piano of “No Time To Crank The Sun” clashes with the stadium electric guitar of “Sad Case,” yet together everything works like a perfectly oiled machine.

In the midst of so much angry, loud, sad, and forcibly dark music, the EL VY project has brought a healthy breath of self-irony. With eleven grand songs, Return To The Moon rises to the best pop album of this 2015, and perhaps even one of the most accomplished pop albums of recent times. Irony, style to spare, and abstract lyrics are the winning weapon of this eccentric duo that unexpectedly pulled a delightful, quirky, and elegant album out of their hat.

Well done, Matt and Brent.