Xavier Rudd has always been passionate about the environment, but the Aussie roots veteran feels especially in tune with nature on his 10th album. Named after the seaside Victorian town where he was raised, Jan Juc Moon evokes the spacious openness and confiding intimacy of a campfire performance. Co-written with surfers and cultural educators Josh and Kyle Slabb from the Bundjalung nation, opener “I Am Eagle” laments the extent of man-made creation from the wistful perspective of the titular bird. The Fleet Foxes-esque “We Deserve to Dream” employs effects-gilded slide guitar to underscore Rudd’s hopeful lyrics about achieving harmony amongst all living things. Indigenous rapper J-MILLA calls out discrimination against the keyboard-flecked soul of “Ball and Chain,” while Rudd’s own lyrics highlight First Nations people’s daily fight for survival. Contrasting those more urgent messages are calming turns like “Great Divine,” about looking beyond this life to what comes next.
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