A Tomato A Day ‎– The Moon Is Green CD

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Back in the early 90's, artist savant Brian Poloncic left all his other bands and started self-releasing cassettes of folk-damaged, noise pop hybrids under the name A Tomato A Day (helps keep the tornado away). New paint, new song constructions with sounds which neither embraced nor recoiled from indie rock and the lo-fi confessional folk sputterings of the day. His music was inside all that but outside it too, junkyard songs put together from spare parts. Songs that said rock and roll and relax. Songs without an audience, songs spilling from the head of an artist chasing his own muse for his own amusement. The music was everywhere, the lyrics were too. This music had plenty of Elvis lust and Dylan absurdity, a troubadour spirit with a punk rock genealogy. I don't know what the band name means but I have a theory the Tomato is a giant red pill somebody has to take every day just to keep the tornado in his head at bay. Drugs to keep you on the ground. The music of Tomato A Day has always inspired me, has always reminded me that it's more important to crash than it is to coast. Thankfully, there's been a new release every year or so to keep me grounded, keep me focused. So, here then is the latest in a long line of under-the-radar songs from an obscure hero of the form. The Moon is Green takes the man and the band in yet another direction. Nothing I say here can explain the journey and you can't possibly know A Tomato A Day by listening to any one tape or cd or record, it's an artistic career that most of us can only dream about. I encourage everyone to find and listen to everything you can get your hands on. Uncompromising, constantly evolving music released to anyone or no one, without echo or acclaim, that's A Tomato A Day. You'll get your basement songs, your bottom of the heart songs, your broken and healed songs, and all better than a dog or car. If you want music that keeps the tornado away but never denies the existence of the tornado, open your mouth and say "ahhh." - Simon Joyner

(Music Emissions) Brian Poloncic, the man behind A Tomato A Day (and one of the founders of the Omaha bands Pickwick and Naturaliste) is a haunted and haunting figure. "The Moon is Green" is a seven song EP that makes you worry about and wonder at its creator. Disjointed and lo-fi, Poloncic's droning, oddly whimsical voice, backed by guitar, devastating cello and understated keys, is the central instrument, giving a confessional, naked feel to the somewhat abstract lyrics. Of the seven songs, "Winter Wind" and "The Highest Kite" stand out as the most poignant and strange. "Halo" and "In A Book" are not far behind. David Downing's cello work is almost as huge a psychic presence as Poloncic himself, a counterpoint that deepens the sense of melancholy dread of the tunes. Yet the tunes are also childlike, in a hermetic, hopeful way. As with those to whom he is often compared, Poloncic has had his struggles with mental illness. Like Daniel Johnston, Skip Spence and Syd Barrett, he has turned that nightmarish battle with uncertain reality into raw, honest, slightly askew melodies and distracted but moving tunes. A Tomato A Day may be an apt monicker for the man. Like the adage, he seems deliberate, present, and hoping each careful move will keep the demons at bay. 4.5/5 - Mike Wood