| Living in a Moon So Blue | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1982 | |||
| Genre | Folk, blues, outsider | |||
| Length | 43:15 | |||
| Label | Corwood Industries | |||
| Producer | Corwood Industries | |||
| Jandek chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| OP Magazine, Issue S | (unfavorable) [2] |
| OP Magazine, Issue T | (favorable) [3] |
| Forced Exposure | (favorable) [4] |
Living in a Moon so Blue is the fifth Jandek album, and was issued as Corwood 0743 in 1982. It was reissued on CD in 2001.
Living in a Moon so Blue is an album that's very hard to separate from its near-counterpart, Staring at the Cellophane . Both albums feature the same parlor guitar on the cover (just from slightly different views) and the contents are remarkably similar, with Jandek delving further into the deep, anarchic blues while putting aside - for now - the female vocals and any instruments besides guitar, vocals and harmonica.
The albums are also distinguished by lean, blues-flavored songs with minimal lyrics, though these lyrics can run from brutal to humorously baffling ("Please don't push any buttons on this machine/On what machine?/Wet paint/Keep out" form the entirety of "Bludgeon," for instance). The music itself runs from fast, rhythmic blues pounded out on the oddly-tuned strings to slow, picked ballads. The vocals are at times otherworldly, at times visceral, and at times barely there at all.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Gretchen" | 2:48 |
| 2. | "One Step Ahead" | 2:12 |
| 3. | "Suppression" | 2:10 |
| 4. | "Strange Phenomenon" | 3:11 |
| 5. | "You Can Stop Now" | 2:20 |
| 6. | "Comedy" | 1:52 |
| 7. | "Sailors" | 1:46 |
| 8. | "Bludgeon" | 1:47 |
| 9. | "All in an Apple Orchard" | 2:32 |
| 10. | "She Fell Down" | 3:26 |
| 11. | "Professional" | 2:26 |
| 12. | "Anticipation" | 2:35 |
| 13. | "Alexandria Knows" | 2:32 |
| 14. | "Quite Nonchalant" | 2:15 |
| 15. | "Relief of the Night" | 3:19 |
| 16. | "Crime Pays" | 2:56 |
| Total length: | 43:15 | |
Jandek is the musical project of Corwood Industries, a record label operating out of Houston, Texas. Since 1978, Jandek/Corwood Industries has independently released over 100 albums/DVDs of unusual, often emotionally dissolute folk and blues songs without ever granting more than the occasional interview or providing any biographical information. Jandek recordings have varied widely in style but are most commonly associated with a highly idiosyncratic and frequently atonal form of folk and blues music, often using an open and unconventional chord structure. Jandek's music is unique, but the lyrics closely mirror the country blues and folk traditions of East Texas. The name "Jandek" is intended to refer specifically to the musical project and not an individual, though Jandek is widely believed to be the brainchild of the enigmatic Sterling Smith who closely guards his privacy.
Ready for the House is the debut studio album by Jandek, and was released in 1978 by his own Corwood Industries label, with the catalog number #0739. The artist has said in letters that the number was meaningless. Corwood Industries reissued the album three times on CD, first in 1999, then sometime in the early 2000s, and again in 2005. Jackpot Records, with exclusive permission from Corwood, reissued the album on LP in 2008.
Six and Six is the second studio album by American musician Jandek, and the first to be released under the Jandek name. It was released in 1981, by Corwood Industries (#0740). There have been two CD reissues so far, each adding more silence between the tracks.
Staring at the Cellophane is the sixth Jandek album, and his third of 1982. It was released as Corwood 0744. It was reissued on CD in 2001.
Your Turn to Fall is the seventh Jandek album, and was released as Corwood 0745. It was reissued on CD in 2001.
The Rocks Crumble is the eighth Jandek album, released as Corwood 0746. It is his third release of 1983, and is the first Jandek album to feature extensive use of drums and electric guitar. It was reissued on CD in 2001.
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"Sitting on Top of the World" is a country blues song written by Walter Vinson and Lonnie Chatmon. They were core members of the Mississippi Sheiks, who first recorded it in 1930. Vinson claimed to have composed the song one morning after playing at a white dance in Greenwood, Mississippi. It became a popular crossover hit for the band, and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2008.
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