With a distinctly different album art and futurist themed title, Erang has stepped bravely into new territory as the fantasy driven Dungeon Synth sound takes on a dystopian Sci-Fi angle, attempting to bridge into new territory. Its an effortless transition where the musical sensibilities re-arrange themselves for a shiny pallet of glossy echoing synth leads, chunky robotic baselines and dense atmospheric moogs. Its a vision similar to an 80s future fiction movie soundtrack where technology is paired with smoke, litter and crime. Shady aliens, dark alleyways home to mutants and black market tech riddles the distant cities and planets through Erang's "eerie" or creepy quality which remains firmly intact, painting this futuristic world in mythic stature.
Within its clean and glossy production balanced with measures of timely reverb lies another collection of visual, vivid melodies that carve eternal times and places into the mind. One that stands out is "Time Vision", diving into a dark and harrowing space with spacious execution of sweeping synth and an unsettling melody, echos of misfortune from the fading piano, haunting the listener with its sorrow. The record only steers into this darker phase on its way out and the majority of tracks have a playful touch with the safety of distance from the oddities we encounter in the anti future.
Erang has never been one for progressive music and despite a sharp, memorable record these songs do what many of his do, meander in the moment, dance around a select group of melodies that compliment each other in short expanses. On records like "Our Dreams Are Made Of Dragons" It works brilliantly, beautiful snapshots peering into the beyond but here the tone and atmospheres set in the opening songs makes me feels as if something is just starting, we are about to embark on an adventure. Before you know it the moment passes and the next song musters up a whirl of potential that feels underutilized.
Its a strange dissatisfaction to want more from something you enjoy and something out of your control. There are moments in the record where the blood gets pumping as crisp drum kicks and snares pound a mechanical rhythm with echos of an Industrial sound. It comes to fruition on "2082" where the marching pace is accompanied by a robotic chugging of crisp distortion guitar to much satisfaction. Its a short lived song though, another that visits a singular moment. I love this record for its aesthetic and theme, the melodies are gorgeous as ever but somewhere in there it feels like the stage was set for something grander.
Favorite Songs: The Highway Goes Ever On, Another Zone, The Drunken Maniac, Floating Children, Video Sunset, Time Vision, 2082
Rating: 7/10