Collected Works, Vol. 1: The Moog Years

Los Angeles–based musician M. Geddes Gengras delights in traveling across genres. The multi-instrumentalist has played with the heavy outfit Robedoor, the shape-shifting experimental band Pocahaunted, and the psychedelic artist Sun Araw, a.k.a. Cameron Stallones. (Gengras and Stallones collaborated with the legendary Jamaican reggae group The Congos on *Icon Give Thank*, one of 2012\'s best albums.) Despite being busy with those and other projects, Gengras has found time to create pieces for Moog synthesizer. 2013’s *Collected Works Vol. 1: The Moog Years* gathers a number of those recordings, and the result is excellent 21st-century new age. Gengras is in no hurry here; this music morphs at its own hypnotic pace. The tracks work as nicely textured background music, but close listening reveals even more pleasures. “Resistor” has squeaking tones that gradually sneak up on you, and they play off the larger washes in intriguing ways. The album conjures a variety of moods, from the outer-space vibe of “Untitled #4” to the perky “Untitled #1” to the flotation-tank world evoked by “Magical Writing.” Relax and enjoy.