Its been a few years since I last checked in with the French musician Dan Terminus. Back then the Synthwave scene was still emerging and this darker flavor caught my ear. With only a few songs making marks, much of those early records have faded from memory. This particular niche in Electronic music is one that I feel often doesn't go far enough with many of the artists clinging close to the pillars of aesthetics that define it. Much of that applies again on Last Call For All Passengers, however its opening cuts aim for something with more of a percussive drive that is present throughout but makes itself known fresh out of the gate.
Kicking off with Oubliette, big slabs of meaty synthetic buzzing slam into the fray as baselines following its opening arpeggio. A harsh slapping snare drum, hollow kicks and snappy cymbals pound away giving structure to the choppy shuffling of hard hitting virtual instruments that dance between with a subtle reminder of those old jolting Dubstep drops. There is a whiff of something in the air, track two's opening melody and sense of groove confirms beyond doubt, The Prodigy have had an obvious influencing hand, pushing the John Carpenter Synthwave sound into club territory.
Its two persuasions don't add up for me. The dazzle of glossed up melodies, spearheading a spirit of pedal to the metal night life, rubs right up against the harsh deployments of hard edged synths and an Industrial like, colorless approach to their timely union with the thumping drum arrangements. It often plays with that loud quiet dynamic, yet the two don't compliment one another. An atmosphere conjured with one hand, is often smashed by the shift in temperament to grooves that don't feel all to fresh in the face of whats come beforehand.
On the aesthetic front its production is hard and crowded, often cramming sound in for the loudness effect. The grittier sound of its drums could do with some polish too. Its a game of contrasts that doesn't pay off. Many of these songs are embellished with layers of synths, oozing in slick textures that conjure visions of cybernetic cities from a dystopian future. They work in tandem, moving in directions and illuminating the neon glow but often thwarted by this return to a club floor banger mentality. That unfortunately dispels any magic for me and leaves this one feeling like an arrangement looking better on paper than in execution.
Rating: 4/10