From France to the U.S., and from Eastern Europe all the way down to the Argentine Pampas, people will tell you that they have no trust left any more. Sure, they’ll give you arguments, and many will even make sense. But, as you listen, you have to stop and wonder if all of these people trying to be rational about their distrust aren’t just wasting their lives away.
Of course, all of these thoughts can’t help but spill out into our daily entertainment, like small droplets of poison introduced into the city’s water supply. We used to be serenaded with “All you need is love!” and “Give peace a chance!” But nowadays, if we ever hear a Beatles song, we just laugh at the naivety of the people who said those words. But isn’t that another way to waste away your life?
Listen, the world is far from perfect. But cynicism won’t improve anything, least of all the quality of your existence. That seems to be the philosophy adopted by French duo Myoon for the peacefully and dreamily spaced out “Run with the Stars” EP.
Don’t forget that there are rich and poor people all over the world maxing out their credit cards trying to talk to gurus promising them a few moments of relief. Remember that there are many people hypnotising themselves into a state of euphoria just so that they can find a route away from modern life’s problems.
“Run with the Stars,” the Great Dream-Pop Escape
What if, for a few minutes, you can get all of that from some recorded music? And what if the record could provide you consistently with the same sense of relief every single time that you played it? If Myoon’s music is here to teach us anything is that sometimes, we make life too hard for ourselves and for no good reason.
Take the opening track, “Boom Boom,” a celebration of life over whatever darkness lies on the other side, a song that feels like Marc Bolan returning to Earth and discovering dream-pop production.
And before you get alarmed, know that this isn’t just a feel-good belly rub either. The chorus to “Boom Boom” may be draped in warm, glorious melodies, but there’s an undercurrent of regret about the music, just as true joy always contains traces of melancholy.
The synth arpeggios and electro-dance grooves of “Forward” evoke 1970s Eurocentric experimental music. But, once again, the sounds are used to make you feel as if, for a moment, you’ve been beamed into a portal to a bright new feature.
Meanwhile, “Dreamer” is the EP’s main single and the most appealing pop construction here. Of all the songs here, this is the most unapologetically hyper-positive track, a synth-pop tune about making it your life’s goal to chase pleasant illusions.
And what’s wrong with a bit of pleasure anyway? Even Myoon know that the good times never last forever. On “Dark World,” the electro-pop sunshine machine sounds like it’s just broken down in Berlin during the rainy season. And, the title track, the Coldplay-like “Run with the Stars,” despite its expansive chords and romantic lyrics, has an undertone of fear, as if all that’s special could just disappear in an instant.
Where does it leave us? Much of modern pop music reflects how most of us truly feel. That’s the reason why so many songs express tension, strife, and our daily woes. Since those aren’t about to disappear anytime soon, why not invest in some hope?
The closing track, “Walking Down the Street,” is the blissful last word. The synth leads, the trip hop beats, the ‘70s space music textures, all come together to tell you that everything is either going to be alright, or that, even at its worst, it’s not your business to always burden yourself with worries.
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