Tycho "Infinite Health" (2024)

  

This release marks a significant return to form. Recapturing the blissful breezy magic once felt on Dive, Californian producer Tycho seems to of found his unique summery vibes again. After a string of mediocre records, exploring unfruitful directions, we return to the soothing chilled out Downtempo charms of his landmark debut.

Indie guitar tone licks and colorful exotic saw synths entangle within a gorgeous production. Instruments come lavished in glossy reverberations, swelling with the musics momentum. Gradual builds of feel good energy pivot into salient melodies. Simple, easy and effective, often infusing brief repetitious grooves in their cadence.

 The percussion is class. A fraction Drumstep in tone with Downtempo intensity and plenty of variety in instrumental tones, Its unafraid of lulls and winding down. Its involvement is dynamic, ebbing and flowing with the overall vision, ready to step into the big clap kick grooves to emphasis a songs main stride and momentum.

Most of the potent melodic magic takes place within these firm rhythmic sways. Colored guitar licks have a habit of striking through the dense dreamy electronics like a human voice. Chanting simple mantras by jostling a handful of notes, its rarely a complex affair and its simplicity revels in the aesthetic chemistry. Its cloudy atmospheric layers border Ethereal at times, always nurturing breezy, clam energy.

Infinite Health brings out the best of Tycho again. Unfortunately, it falls short in consistency. Between well built songs drift in milder tracks exploring interluding temperaments. These toned down arrangements tended to dull the momentum, lacking percussive drive and a sense of destination. Its best songs are a delight, so not all is lost! There is plenty of feel good warmth to be enjoyed here.

Rating: 6/10

Fred Again.. "Actual Life 3" (2022)

 
Actual Life 3 plays like an emotive snapshot of life passing by. Plainly titled in full with assumed start and ending dates, the candid selfie cover continues a trend in this series. Its an unambiguous touch to illuminates its personal nature. A social intimacy flows, human voices woven into these compassionate expressions, channeled through a dreamy endless night, intoxicated on the club floor. Slick Downtempo, danceable, rhythmic drives power us through warm Ethereal melodies and uplifting nightly energy. Snippets of casual conversation and private exchanges flicker between tender voices singing on relationship struggles with positive resolve. This all feels like a harmonious reflection of Fred's life, illuminating the human connections.

With a steady and gradual building of instrumental intensity, he steers these songs on an organic flow, never static, always inching towards the next subtle shift. Most songs find a swooning swell to amp up the rhythm to a predictable lively climax, yet always gratifying. Its gravitas is one of escape, a seriousness lingers in its mellow passing demeanor. Tensions unwind, providing release and resolve, lingering on a social maturity. Its forty minutes pass an effortless breeze. Fred never overplays his hand and keeps both mood and groove consistent, leaving all its varying degrees of intensity in anticipation of what flows next. Actual Life is one heck of a breezy listen...

Rating: 7/10

Carbon Based Lifeforms "Seeker" (2023)

 

 Thirteen years on from Interloper, now a classic in my collection, I wanted to hear if Seeker retains the infectious charm this breed of spacey downtempo ambient offers. With many consecutive spins, the dazzling repetition of whirling melancholic melodies did not meld to an intensity felt once before. Perhaps the familiarity dulled its impact. Seeker is loaded with wondrous music to inspire awe and astonishment, its astral evoking leading many compositions on a similar trajectory. Humble beginnings gradually bloom into emotional swells contemplating our mysterious universe and the roll we take within in. Far from existential, these emotive arrangements arouse a glorious curiosity, sparking the imagination on a galactic perspective whilst also reflecting inwards, as such incomprehensible scales often stir introspection.

Its aesthetic design and arrangement of electronic instruments is a web of details and intricacies one can get lost in. Timely reverberations and lofty tonalities feed into the themes tapestry. Human voices weave in on rare occasions, often with breathy wordless interpretations and an occasional hint of lyrics. The driving forces are its emergent key melodies and swells of percussion that amass intensity as peaks are summited in a songs climactic pass. Much of this could be applied to previous records yet despite similarity and familiarity birthed from my many spins, Seeker didn't resonate on that deeper level. Its a high bar to reach for and shouldn't deter from the soothing spiritual moods the music stirs. Definitely one for the Temporal Focus playlist!

Rating: 7/10

Siebzehn "Starship Signals" (2016)

  

 Following up on The Ocean Palace, we have another spacey Pysbient record, interestingly created the same year. Once again its another expectant occurrence in terms of meditative mood and focusing ambience. Like the latter it had an allure of mediocrity that landed it square in the middle of the spectrum. Siebzehn's defining characteristics are built within its busy instrumental nature. Soft rattling synth stabs oscillate alongside aimless percussive noises, held by a steady groove as one is locked in this slice of time. Bass lines brood below with a synthetic textural intensity. With this blueprint, a fair range of astral inspired temperaments are explored.

Under The Radar strikes as a resonant assembly of the spacey tonality heard so far. Illusive melodies strike a sense of momentum frozen in time. Its pulsing bass loops its brief notation as airy occurrences of alien noise drift in and out of focus around it.

Tektoniks is another highlight. Again, lead by a bass line slowly pulsing with a touch of sub, were guided through unease and tension. Observed with a sense of detachment, percussion waivers in and out of focus alongside the sounds of deep space.

Starship Signals has its flavor and as the title suggests its sense of space is woven with mechanical, technological constructs of a future mankind. This is greatly emphasized by its slightly industrial approach to the drums which have a busy roll despite the relaxing nature of the music. I could hear this as a keen soundtrack to a video game, with the right space adventure inspired theming of course.

Rating: 5/10

One Arc Degree "The Ocean Palace" (2016)

 

Lately, I've been on an ambience oriented, cosmic themed, spacey vibe Pysbient kick. Whatever fancy words I throw at it, their is a niche in me for this temporal, meditative music that's been difficult to satisfy. The crossover territory of Psychedelia and Ambient in an astral setting slices like a blade, either immensely satisfying or rather dull. This is one of two recently discovered albums that fall precariously in the middle, leaving me unable to make up my mind. No doubt however, this one will make my "temporal focus" playlist for when in need of a restful yet channeled mind.

The Ocean Palace has a sense of stillness on arrival, as if the astral activity is elsewhere. One observes from a desolate planet, as the stars and skies above bustle with activity. This feeling evaporates as its tracks steadily bloom. Thumping bass percussion builds, each track running a similar trajectory with increasing intensity.

With Kraken Mare the record pivots to its textural offerings, different flavors of dense airy ambience and complimenting illusive melodies. Every songs feels tangled in a web of noise work, quirk sounds and details rumbling in and out of focus on mechanical rotations. It creates a sense of alien activity, not understood but observed. With Hydrogen Times Pi, a strong sense of influence emerges, the echos of pioneers Carbon Based Lifeforms brews as its lead melodies take on a similar character.

As I mentioned, this well fell in the middle, not quite as captivating but certainly not bad. Saturn Rising felt like its defining song and the ambience was pressured by a slamming sub bass drum and rapid clicky noises. Quite the contrast, that birthed an interesting atmosphere. I won't go deeper with this artist but the search is still on!

Rating: 5/10

Yagya "Faded Photographs" (2023)

 

I recall commenting previously that Yagya's music, a unique blend of dreamy Ethereal Downtempo ambience, had run its course with me. Still in adoration of the peaceful persuasion this composer casts, this newest installment commanded a curious listen. The soft sway of deeply subdued dub percussion meets a timeless array of cloudy synths again for another sleepy affair in the heavens. Business as usual, the sweetest of routines that leaves me with little to say I haven't already in previous posts.

Where Faded Photographs caught my ear was with its vocal collaborations. A real sense of intended chemistry emerged as these delicate, softly sung voices chimed in as if a new element of the Yagya sound. Its been done before but in a few instances, these unions with Bandreas, Benoit Pioulard and my favorite Saint Sinner, turned out a treat! The subtle saxophone expressions from Óskar Guðjónsson another delight.

With a rather constrained temperament and consistent approach to the composition of these eleven songs, the novelty wears off swiftly but a soothing charm does persist. The Serpent stands head and shoulders apart as the records best song. Grappling with foggy unease and eerie stresses, the chorus moves through gratifying shifts as tensions resolve and elevate with beautiful chord progressions. It commanded me to write this post! The record however did become a rather typical affair for a sound thoroughly explored already. I do still enjoy on occasion though, this was one of them.

Rating: 6/10

Andrew Odd "Discoveries" (2015)

 

Seeking out more cosmic Pysbient by Andrew Odd, his earlier Discoveries ventures close. Downtempo beats are stripped out, pacing set in rarity by rumbles of deep bass and jolting sequenced synths. My favorite track is the one exception. Unknown Phenomenon builds steadily, the reverb soaked snare and complimenting thump of the bass kick amp up intentions. It lingers on this trajectory for some time before unleashing a gratifying closing astral melody. This is the craft I was seeking.

The rest of the records dealing in shades of spacey ambience brought about by combinations of dense electronic strings, murmuring bass noise and lofty, airy synths. These songs most circle their own tensions, drifting from resolution and lingering in the peculiar spaces as ambiguous textures and halfway tunes assert themselves.

The most remarkable of which is Leaving, the opening track. Its perpetual sense of abstract existence is bestowed by a cloudy organ synth tone. It holds an odd tension of possibility beyond what we know. Presiding through its entirety, encounters with grandiose string sections feel significant and momentous, as if observing first contact from a distance. Its distinct and special, the rest of the record offering more temporal solitude but never quite escaping to the extraordinary. A fair set of ambiences.

Rating: 6/10

Andrew Odd "Life" (2015)

Seeking more of the Random Thoughts magic, Life of five years prior has flickers of a neighboring charm. Its opener, the lengthy, tense Spark, and aimless dreamy closer track, Darkness, both brood on airy tensions of lofty synths, uneventful soundscapes mulling over their own individual moments. The three songs between venture out of cloudy ambiances with pleasantly subdued encroachments of melody. Drifted along by spacious Downtempo grooves, deep baselines hum with mono-tonal force to reinforce its persuasive percussion.

Unlike the cosmic vibes to follow, life rests gently with the beauty of earthly things to inspire its mellow moods. Always calming, the chemistry of instruments soothes through its effortless pace and welcoming tones. Airy synths house spurts of aimless electronic melody as its motions stew on the feeling of each track. Wonderfully crafted, they can probably fit a variety of feelings the listener might have. Its spell is fantastic for focus, a delight to enjoy when tasked for work. Its only flaw is a lack of depth with only two thirds of its thirty three minute stay being the sweet stuff.

Rating: 5/10

En Voice "Hall Of Dreams" (2006)

 

 

Now steered into niche destinations by the Spotify algorithm, I stubble across Hall Of Dreams, one of two record by a German composer who I could find little information about online. This disparity reminded me of cultural difference music scenes have. I'm certain there would be no shortage of information on a Metal band of equivalent size. Tangent aside, En Voice glimmers ambiences as Downtempo grooves flirt with gentler temperaments. Easy soundscapes drift dreamily, seeming like destinations of a modern, European stature. A harmonious clash of new an old rides the wave. Keen electronic tones and lively mid-tempo percussion rubs upside yawning strings and cultural voices. It livens a sense of travel and adventure as modern life tangos with heritage and histories, fading in an ever approaching sunset of the present rat race.

Offering a variety of flavors across its twelve tracks, a welcoming Pop appeal pallets its instruments and textures with little in the way of challenging. Each song breezes by with shuffling beats and electronics, nothing ever to bold, ambitious or out of step. These serve as warm digestible moods with the occasional flush of 90s British Electronica as potent yet simple piano melodies swoon in over sweeping synths and dawning strings. Clocking in on average at five minutes, most the songs go through simple structures, retracting and extending the rhythm section through lulls and swells with interchanging instruments. It sticks to a tone and sees it through with a lack of remark-ability beyond the character of the smooth vibrations it conjures. Good for a while but lacking a memorable depth.

 

Rating: 5/10

Timewave "Solar System" (2010)

 

This is Timewave, another intriguing project of Andrew Odd's and another realm that feels familiar. As a mash of Progressive House, Downtempo, Trance and 90s Dance, its energetic pulse and throbbing percussion cruises on by with an intensity for the dance floor. Despite the elevated sensations, it maintains a calming atmosphere as slowly sweeping stringed synths sooth these absorbing dips into nighttime club life, where Its astral component is loose, a keen suggestion that fits the character. If not drifting through the endless cosmos, a variety of ideas could provide its theming.

Dizzying arrays of sharp arpeggio electronics whirl in dynamic oscillation, layers of busying electronic aesthetics stacking into a smothering wall of sound. Its dense with foggy atmospheric synths buried behind its tapestry of noises, all cohesively moving in the same direction. Its freeing, often euphoric but the magic is always birthed with the percussion strikes. Deep bass grooves jive at dance-able tempos thrusting along an infectious freedom to move your body. Its the persuasive magic of club music brought to an atmospheric flavor, both rich, uplifting and powerfully magnetic.

For all appraisals aired, I could simply be reveling in a genre of music that often doesn't quite serve the introverted vibes I adore. Its 90 minute construct of ten lengthy tracks also doesn't fit the album experience. Solar System is more of a "tune in and drop out". All its song structures are built on simple cycles of phasing intensities. Slow build ups brood into percussive drives before calming the crowd to charge back in again. Not all its aesthetics and samples land equally, especially in the build ups but once arrival has transpired, it always feels right when the pounding drums swell.

You can just jump right in whenever you want that deep focus, which is another interesting juxtaposition about its energy. Despite rocking a throbbing pulse, its dense aesthetic and liveliness is strangely meditative, locking you into its groove both as foreground and background music. Although I am in the initial excitement stages, its clear I've found something fit for another niche of mine. Andrew Odd is one to watch!

Rating: 7/10

Andrew Odd "Random Thoughts" (2020)

  

Spotify is sussing my tastes out and the spacey ambience I adore has been served up. Finnish cosmonaut Andrew Odd caught my ear a flavor of deep space I couldn't resist. Hints of Downtempo momentum burgeon from its lurching percussion, brooding awaiting release. Birthed out of deep pursuing bass pulses, long adorning synth strings and cloudy ambiences mull in the void. Minor textures become major melodies in its astral unraveling of otherworldly marvels. Steadily they build, sparse lifeless tunes bloating to wild animations as gusto is mustered to venture forth boldly.

Cosmic storms, celestial bodies and colliding nebula illuminate in the blink of an eye. One drifts by, radiating in observation, then continuing momentum off into distance shadows, unable to change course. These swells of magic best culminate with a drive of powerful percussive grooves. Mechanical and stiff, the repetition aids the moment with a lively presence far from its humble, dreamy origins. Only a feature reserved for three of the five tracks, its more ambient oriented cuts are a fine craft too.

Likely inspired by Carbon Based Lifeforms and others in this spacey realm, the execution outstrips its similarities. These experiences are so well crafted, visions to be inhabited for lovers of these vibes. Andrew straddles an interesting line where his forever expanding soundscapes will go from subtle temporal remedies to mesmerizing distractions yet somehow serve both the background and foreground of you're musical attention span. Riveting stuff, an immediate classic "go to" for my introspective moods.

Rating: 8/10

Dark Sky "Othona" (2017)

 

My resistance to the algorithm was foolish! Once again I've been served up a fantastic electronic artist delving into the Ambient, Ethereal, Downtempo vibes that I just adore! Othona is a soothing record of deceptive simplicity and meditation, a series of soft synth resonances exploring unraveling energies. Gently gathering its gusto, these surges of groove and melody flourish out of the soothing states, morphing into animated flashes of color, sometimes in passive friction with its slight dissonance.

These tones and aesthetics achieved through configuration of saw waves and synth osculations, seem to always carry a slight unease. Its as if something is always marginally out of tune yet also fostered by the other instruments, at a distance. The vision and inspiration at play is clear and thus births a sweet magic from this careful curation of the subtle dissonance. Its brilliantly handled, steered to a warm place.

Othona's array of buzzing synths aren't the soul focus! Across this record, the pace holding percussion often morphs into classic House and Dance beats with deep pumping bass and tight shuffling grooves. Its always a gentle process, as much of the music incrementally grows through the motions, so do the percussive lines. It allows these songs to be in a consistent state of evolution, moving us from calming serine meditative soundscapes into easy crooning Downtempo drives of flow.

I'm impressed at how this record comes together. Song after song holds my attention with a soothing nature. I could drawn attention to some similarities in style with other artists but I really think Dark Sky holds their own for the most part. Just one song, Angels, could hold a candle to Brian Eno's legendary An Ending (Ascent), as quite the comparable vibes emanate. This one is worth checking out if you're even mildly curious from my words. The mood it educes is worth it alone. Great Stuff!

Rating: 7/10

Yagya "Always Maybe Tomorrow" (2021)

 

With little in the way of a stylistic divergence to be found, Always Maybe Tomorrow is the sort of release I prefer from an artist who I enjoy, yet may not find something new as they remain in their lane. This is a straight forward four track EP of droning dreamy cuts with the typical Yagya sound. Its synths, percussive pallet and ambiguous noises seemingly recycled tones from past projects but in this brief format its a welcome place to revisit. So much so that I'd fail not to repeat myself in describing it.

Each song is a deployment of rich textural aesthetics. Its perpetual deep bass pounding a soothing rhythmic backbone for a one way drive through the varying temperaments of its various instruments. Dense with atmosphere and calming in nature its quite the meditative experience for focus with no human voices to provide any distraction from the entrancing experience of these dreamy drones.

Perhaps I could remark on Standing Still In A River for a more prominent synth melody that repeats on itself endlessly, upfront in the tracks limelight. Beyond that excursion I find myself with little to comment on. This is a very typical set of tracks from Yagya, great to enjoy but not to much in the way of breaking new ground, which I doubt was ever the intent.

Rating: 4/10

Plini "Impulse Voices Remix" (2021)

Uncommon but more so unexpected, Australian musician Plini has collaborated with three producers to bring us an intriguing remix EP of crossovers with the Electronic music scene sound. Often a recipe for disaster, on this outing it seems the two styles pull in the same direction, with guitars and synths of the original music being lifted into the bass and percussive designs of Downtempo, chilled out, laid back Electronic music. I must remark, my memories of these Metal adjacent remixes are somewhat scared by the early naughties attempts of Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park with full remix albums. Over the years many other collaborations have come by with varying success but are yet to make footing as a common feature.

In this scenario the vibes match and make for a fine indulgence with the breezy moods and easy nature of the intersection. These are easy, summery songs, hard not to like. Despite that, I find it difficult to give this project merit beyond chemistry as its energy rides almost exclusively of the melodies of Plini. Dayce brings a powerful thumping, steady Dance beat with 90s hi-hats and airy reverberations. The bold bass and rhythmic glitchy grooves add a contribution but not one of remark. The following tracks play it even safer, limited to drums as the main creative contribution. Production techniques with fade ins, outs and frequency cut fades make transitional designs sparkle but again, the musics charm is all with the original material. Ultimately, these songs end up feeling purposeless in the shadow their source and fail to bring anything beyond a shift in tone.

Rating: 3/10

Jessie Ware "What's Your Pleasure" (2020)

Nostalgia revival has been a recurring theme across the musical spectrum in recent years. Strangely, the better of it all doesn't feel nostalgic at all. That's what we have here, a plunge into the past that pulls out the finest moments with precision. What's Your Pleasure looks back through the aesthetics, ideas and instrumentation of Disco, Dance, Pop, Soul and Funk's glory years and brings them to life once again with twelve stunningly charismatic songs, all with something unique to offer.

 The record is a classy affair. Kicking off with its catchy dance floor numbers one will be lured in by its attitude, jive and confident energy. A general sense of the eighty and Synth-pop resides here. A pivot in the midsection runs through some modern downtempo driven atmospheric tunes to relax the tempo. These deep moods recur again in its final phase shuffled between more classic vibes culminating in the timeless Remember Where You Are, a song for the ages. Its cinematic theme and swells of warm, sunny smiles are utterly classic and moving every time it closes the album.

 Jessie is the glue. The stylistic pivots and musical diversity are held together by her unassuming voice. With power and emotion she sings without an obvious distinction most singers catch my ear with. She is well composed, strong and sings with confidence through the ranges that stretches to the breathy voice on occasion. Her attitude and posture matches the tone of these numbers on every track and her common presence unifies. Tracks like Ooh La La and In Your Eyes sound miles apart separately but with her guidance its all comes together in the grander experience.

The instrumentals are a delicacy. Aesthetically every sound is lavish and stunning. The tone, and temperament of these instruments are gorgeous. The bass guitar oozes with texture as it prowls along as the musical backbone. Brief ushers of guitar licks shimmer in the breeze and the diverse pallet of percussive sounds get worked in to suit its songs main stylistic focus. The synth work too is sublime, from big and bold to soft and subtle everything is a joy to indulge with and take in.

Musically, many of the ideas lack true originality with its roots in the deeply explored styles of past but in execution the song writing hits the mark with a stunning sense of charisma. The best comes from the overlaps of 70s and 80s era moods with the more modern House and Downtempo beat frameworks. Another stunning aspect is the deployment of these upfront, in your face cheesy synths. Once a retro stain of the 80s, in this context it is wonderfully worked around the attitude of Jessie on a couple of songs, making much fun of a once dated style.

These songs have life, soul and experience to them. Ranging from boisterous fun and flirtatious struts to weepings of heart breaks and pains suffered, Jessie puts her personality into every moment. It all comes with a gleam of uplift. Often fun and playful, even its reflective, melancholic tracks resolve to a positive space.

All in all this is one heck of a production. What's Your Pleasure sets the bar high as it explores some nostalgic ideas, bringing them back in style and with relevancy. Ive delved into this one deep. Its got swooning spells throughout although favorites do emerge as some of the Synth-pop and Funk tracks tire on many repetitions. Its Downtempo and classic old school string section, diva led pop tracks are a delight, occasionally tugging on my heart strings. Its dance-able throughout with plenty of groove and attitude to boost your spirits. This is the sort of record you can recommend to anyone who isn't pegged into a musical corner.

Favorite Tracks: Spotlight, What's Your Pleasure, In Your Eyes, Step Into my Life, Mirage, Remember Where You Are

Rating: 9/10

Global Communication "76 14" (1994)

Plucking a recommended "ambient gem" from an old playlist, I found myself in a moment of awe as I thumbed over the release date. All the many similarities and artists I could reference flew out the window as this vastly predates the likes of Carbon Based Lifeforms. Now its praise seems all the more apparent given what little that is similar Ive heard before the year of 94. Global Communication are an English ambient duo who have built a timely, beautiful experience here, embarking on seventy six minutes and fourteen seconds of entrancing ambiguity and Downtempo meditations. Its songs are all equally named in length, a combination of two numbers to say little more of the music, other than how long each chapter will last.

This lack of additional substance lets the music take on its own form with no suggestion of what the artists intention might be. For me, an experience both cosmic and spiritual, meditative and temporal, even a little funky and jazzed out in its lively spaces. The music can be whatever you like! Its overall quality is a sonic experience, soft and suggestive with lapses into beat and groove as its lengthy building passages of suspense find release in steady percussive sways. They muster a warm gusto of pace an indulgence into deeply relaxed and chilled soundscapes.

 The record starts with its mighty astral synths playing folly to whats ahead. It opens a portal for a lengthy expedition guided by whirling synths and stitched to reality with its remarkable, tembre tick-tock of a clock, marking time passing by, It seems all to meaningful somehow. The songs then sway between experimental soundscapes and rhythmic rooted tracks that lay down easy tempos and build a world around it with various electronic synth sounds and murmurous bass lines.

 7 39 builds up an appetite with light Industrial vibes and a denser web of interchanging sounds. Its potent melodies overall vibe fondly remind me of Devin Townsend's Project EKO. Its a stark transition into 54, mysterious foreign voices exchange some shared language of communication as spacious beeps and whirls give of an astronomic vibe. It plays into the experience as the foundations of rhythm and melody seemed to be pulled back into ambiguity on a frequent basis.

As the closing tracks returns to the heavenly astral synths heard in the opening, they act like a wrapper for two particular strains of music held together in the middle. Ambiguous experiments in temporal texture and Downtempo chill out tracks converting the electronic music scene of the 90s into ambient form. All of it is fantastic and the way in which it flows just makes for an effortless listen. I can see why its held in such high regard. Hearing what it must of influenced beyond its release has certainly taken the edge off a little but it makes it no less fantastic.

Rating: 8/10

Yagya "Old Dreams And Memories" (2020)

Given my utter disappointment with last years Stormur, I almost let this one pass me by but alas I had to find out if the Icelandic musician Yagya would kindle his particular breed of calming magic again. I'm please to report the answer is yes. It is a return to form but also no measure of anything unheard before. After much consumption, it essentially confines Old Dreams And Memories to the playlist along with his other works when seeking the relaxing mood of his soft and dreamy atmospheres.

Toying a little with tense strings on occasional tracks, the usual remedy of dub baselines resonating slow club grooves below cloudy synths gets a little flavor to define it. Many of the usual tones, synths and drum sounds in his pallet resurface alongside these Classical elements, bringing about a sorrowful and saddening tone to otherwise carefree and indulgent sound. Its rainy, glum, yet entrancing and beautiful as  sombre violins usher in a seriousness on its select tracks.

The voice of what I presume to be a Japanese woman crops up throughout the record. Her soft spoken word creates an intimate feeling of something serious. Given the nature of the music it has less of a manifestation into theme but adds a little mystery to the records vibe. All in all the new songs have provided the Yagya experience again but with nothing remarkable going on. As always this music is fresh on first listen but quickly its ambience and atmosphere confines it to the background.

Rating: 5/10

Tycho "Weather" (2019)

Laid back tempos, hypnotically chilled atmospheres and exotic summer melodies. All the hallmarks of American musician Scott Hansen's distinct sound remain intact on this newest project. It is however a clearly watered down version of his immersive sound that broke out with Drive. Softer synthetic tones and less of those dreamy waves of hypnotic sound, it marks a departure perhaps. In comparison the percussion is subdued and many of the gorgeous sounding instruments play on the leaner side, letting timely reverberations carry the atmosphere over building songs with dense melodic design. Its all sweet and luscious but the swells of thickening sound and driving tunes that once made this a very special project seem to be absent.

A lighter temperament of whats been done before is no bother but for me the record slips away with the inclusion of Saint Sinner. I don't like to dwell on negatives but I find her voice all to plain and vanilla for a record in need of an energetic swell. With a flat, soft and airy singing style she doesn't convey much emotive expression. A few inflections and whispering words break up a rather monotone approach. She fits in around the instrumentals but I feel nothing other than mediocrity from their chemistry.

In the shadow of former work the magic this new chapter just feels tamed with a lack of new ideas. The best tracks are undoubtedly those without Saint and with more room for expression some of his classic alluring melodic style illuminates but its often brief. This is a well produced record tho, with indulgent tones and aesthetics it could chill out anyone in the right mind, however the vocal aspect doesn't work out well. They span five of these eight tracks and clocking in under thirty minutes its really lacking any spark. As an introduction to Tycho's sound it would probably fare well but as a fan this direction just feels toned down, offering nothing new.

Favorite Tracks: Easy, Into The Woods

Rating: 3/10

The Young Gods "Data Mirage Tangram" (2019)

I believe it was David Bowie who once gave props to the Swiz group The Young Gods as a big influence on the Industrial Metal sound. That led me to their TV Sky album and since then I had not explored further. After nine years of silence the trio return with an interesting record that stumbles into pacing issues midway as its quirky atmospheres of subtle psychedelia, dialed down industrialism and lifeless abandon pivot into dull, quiet and lengthy iterations of its initial ideas. The first few tracks birth a sense of calm and obscure loneliness, a soundtrack to isolation on an alien planet. No threat is insight but madness lurks on the horizon of ones mind as the stillness oozes a soft eeriness. Erupting slabs of buzzed out distortion guitars ignite heightened event in moments of upheaval but otherwise the music is very laid back.

Steady downtempo beats set pace for elongated scenic synths to conjure a mood as buzzing baselines and subtle glitched electronic noises make a lining to the structure of its sound design. On Moon Above much of this structure looses ground as the percussion dissipates in a slippery audio collapse. Off beat drum strikes are slowly enveloped by tape stretching sound effects and glitched noises that break apart the song, reaching a dissipating conclusion. Its after this point that the album loses its stride. Going into an eleven minute drone of minimalism, it takes to long to reach its climatic eerie synths being roared upon by assailant, imposing guitars that cut the intended tension with a menacing shrill high frequency distortion.

After this dull escapade the charm returns a little with looping reverberations hooking in psychedelic vibes from the lead guitars in the second phase of You Gave Me A Name. It grows and emboldens with captivating style but it is one passageway in another dull stretch of lucid music. If it had stayed on track this album would be a keen contender for king of its niche vibe but with this lapse of pace in the second half it ends on a snooze. I don't wont to dwell too much on that issue, the opening music is interesting, indulgent and fantastic but as an album it cuts itself short of a fuller experience, dialing the energy down as the album progresses and failing to build on its initial ideas which are impactful when putting the record on for a spin. It has songs I will come back for, but not as a whole.

Favorite Tracks: Tear Up The Red Sky, Figure Sans Nom, You Gave Me A Name

Rating: 5/10

C418 "Excursions" (2018)

German composer Daniel Rosenfeld aka C418 has birthed iconic music and sounds stained into the minds of millions of Minecraft fans worldwide. His unique sound and approach seems an uncanny match for the games engrossing atmosphere, almost to good to be true. Over the years he has released the games soundtracks alongside his own records that mainly dive into the House and Downtempo orientations of Ambient Electronic music, while showing that his flair extends into all degrees of composition hes attempted. With each passing record the wonders are revisited with a degree of expectancy and predictability but always within the allure that his style conjures, resonating and radiating its hypnotic, colorful warmth.

Its not been since my first exposure to his sound that the soothing radiation of warm indulging sounds has been so strong. Even within the realms of familiarity and anticipation, his capability finds an exuberant stride. One hundred minutes of beautifully ambiguous moods and engrossing atmospheres that win me over with a luminosity and vibrancy to these sounds we know all to well. The textures of synth, tones of melody, buzzing baselines, composition traits, the shrink and expansion is all akin to what we love about this artist and its executed wonderfully. One new experiment emerges, the sounds of birds chirping in Cold Summer gives it a wonderfully exotic and mysterious vibe if only for a song or two.

Its hard to dive into details when everything feels so snug and sweet. This is the C418 we know, the songs don't take long to feel like you have known them forever and yet the magic flows forth through a range of songs so typical of him. We have light ambiences led by pianos, quirky ambiguous melodies and banging percussive lines that seem to creep in like the morning sun through blinds. The transitions are sublime, one instance there is barely a beat and moments later the synths have arose, the snap and clap of snare and kick is in full swing. Excursions has flow, zen and sustains its spell for a remarkable length, suspending us in its dimension. Possibly his best.

Favorite Tracks: Cold Summer, Benton, Thunderbird, The President Is Dead

Rating: 9/10