Moon Duo plays the Drunken Unicorn Oct. 3

The Portland-based psych rock duo shows off songs from ‘Occult Architecture Vol. 1 & 2’

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Photo credit: Eleonora Collini
Moon Duo

As Moon Duo, guitarist Erik Johnson (Wooden Shjips) and Sanae Yamada have been crafting whirling, hooky psychedelia since 2009. Their latest pair of albums, 2017’s Occult Architecture Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 find the Portland, Oregon-based twosome exploring the light and dark sides of their sound, and are, perhaps their clearest thematic statements to date. Mixing heavy psych with crisp Krautrock, the tracks on both volumes of Occult Architecture highlight Johnson and Yamada’s masterful sense of balance and control. Johnson’s radiant guitar flourishes are a humane compliment to Yamada’s droning keyboards. Like their albums, Moon Duo’s live performances are both ecstatic and foreboding, equal parts jangly dance party and John Carpenter soundtrack.

With Birds of Avalon. $12. 9 p.m. Tues., Oct. 3. The Drunken Unicorn, 736 Ponce de Leon Ave. NE. www.thedrunkenunicorn.net.