Amynedd "16-Bit Adventure" (2020)

 One to be wooed by the sway of nostalgia, Birmingham based Amynedd's sole release had pull for an era I didn't personally experience. Familiar with the Sega Mega Drive aesthetic, its lovingly crafted array of saws, sines and triangle wave synths fit the bill fronted by its contrasting album cover. Half retro game, half scenic view not entirely fitting of VGM. The musical lure were the compositions. Its limited array of tones are somewhat tiring but in paying tribute to an era gone by, some creative liberties in its glossy production, embellished percussion and soft reverbs hold it over.

Unless indoctrinated by hours of adventure, glued to the TV set as a child, a lot of this console gaming era's music can be gaudy and harsh in my experience, especially on the original hardware. 16-Bit Adventure initially avoids that folly with its firm bass pummeling opening track and subsequent mellow melodies conjuring spirit through an adjacent formula, free to greater expression on the following numbers. Its mood is scenic, intriguing and emotional yet as the record grows it seems to hail back to Synth-Pop inspired punchiness on tracks like Tractor Zone, Boulder Zone.

Popping drum beats, snappy percussive sounds and rigid executions lack subtlety, variance and measure as its instruments work on full velocity, forcing its way through the notation. Between them, Merrily Boats and Lilac Orchard swoon with mystic melodies of carefree warmth and adventure. Its this tugging back and forth the spell is often broken. When working with warm synths applied with timely decays, the music transcends as its layers of melody and rhythm pry into fuzzing warm spaces.

Between these more interesting numbers lay the songs akin to the Sonic soundtrack. They in their own right are fun compositions with great chemistry between the various layers of sound chiming together in good spirit but that shift in energy is jarring to the overall atmosphere. It leaves me with the feeling of finding enjoyment in a niche that's not mine, pretty self explanatory given my opening remarks. This is an era I missed out on but if you did enjoy it, you'd certainly get along with this. If not, you'll probably hear the inkling of something more meaningful and inspiring than just carefree fun. Its weaved its way into the more loving compositions, of which I enjoyed most.

Rating: 6/10

Dan Terminus "Last Call For All Passengers" (2020)

 

 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

Alexander Brandon "Earthscape" (2010)

 

With a recent nostalgic dive into a game from my childhood, Tyrian 2000, I discovered composer the Alexander Brandon was behind the games wondrous and lively midi driven soundtrack. Stumbling onto his bandcamp, I was impressed by the moderate temperaments of music fusing bright virtual instruments with chunky 90s electronic percussion and shapely synthesizers. Its a typically hard to nail down sound, mild manured with a mature variety yet softly engrossing as it pulls inoffensive ideas together with a sensibility akin to video game soundtracks.

Earthscape chalks up a little variety along the way. His singing voice a sensitive one, utilised on two tracks with a worldly Art Pop track reminiscent of Peter Gabriel and on the albums closer he soars some keen words between synthesizer laden vocal effects that wobble with charm. Both endearing. Eagles March breaks for a marching band percussive segment with intriguing groove and patterns that fill the narrow reverb applied. Alba drops in a little metallic guitar distortion too, always welcome with me.

Between its surprises an array of welcome melodies play out across many instruments, occasionally steering into classic electronic tones that sparked similarities with the Tyrian soundtrack that brought me here! It was a nice experience to pick something up on a whim. Although I don't think there is anything deep or profound here, its a record with that typically soundtrack ability to give you the resonance for focus and musical enjoyment with little investment on your own behalf.

Rating: 6/10

Lord Lovidicus "Midsummer" (2020)

 

  Its felt like a lengthy, patient wait but alas! The time has come again for another installment in the Lord Lovidicus journey. Steering further from Dungeon Synth and deeper into the Fantasy realm, another evolution in tone is of no surprise. Its aquatic theme, or at least my interpretation of Midsummer, has been however! Actually, many parts of it are comparable to A Vespera Ad Lucem but between passageways of temperaments listeners will be more accustom to are flourishes and swells of expression akin to Debussy and the Romantic era, at least to my limited perceptions.

The record has jollity and beauty in abundance. Long gone is the lurking mystery of Dungeon Synth darkness. These songs use luscious instruments and cheerful melodies to steer the music through warm hearted adventures of carefree Fantasy. Flutes, piccolos, layers of synth and tambourine lead percussion build up inviting and immersive atmospheres. The compositional balance is wonderful, repeating sections and simple woven melodies seem interspersed with lead instruments dancing on inspiration at just the right intensity to serve both background and forefront listening.

To my ears, the album finds constraints where the music is held back by its production and format. Some of those aforementioned lead instruments rise up and act like the songs voice. Too often do they feel held back by the time locked and rigid nature of virtual instruments. A little looseness would free up the creativity. Also the indulgent reverbs get a little overpowering when too many instruments are active at the same time. Jeux D'eau is a keen example of both, a beautiful song of instruments dancing on a whim, following heart and soul with a dexterous composition fluttering with complexities that sound cramped by thees issues, despite being utterly wonderful.

In my mind there is no doubt this musicians journey is going in the right direction. This latest divergence of theme is refreshing and the underlying components of skill and inspiration are yielding the magic as ever but as pointed out extensively, this feels like a moment where the technology holds back the music. That however has not held back my immense enjoyment of these simply wonderful starlight atmospheres that conjure underwater aquatic adventures in my humble imagination. Brilliant!

Rating: 8/10

Frank Klepacki & The Tiberian Sons "Frank Klepacki & The Tiberian Sons" (2020)

Alongside the remastered music of Command & Conquer, soundtrack composer Frank Klepacki has teamed up with VGM tribute band The Tiberian Sons to deliver twenty two performances of his iconic music as a Metal band. Its undoubtedly a treat in this exciting and nostalgic time for the game and its fans. Haven listened to it back to back over the last few days, I find myself reaching a more "objective" take on the music, going beyond my adoration and feverish enjoyment hearing these favorite songs of mine through a new lens.

Most, if not all, of the original music is stripped out. The synths hold onto the original tones in many a place but much of the nuance and detail is lost to the band performance. With crisp, high fidelity modernized production, the music has a spacious vacuum where the crystal clear punch of each drum strike, plucked bass line and rattle of distortion guitar tend not to cross paths where some much needed "mud" would give it density. Its a case of being a little to clean for its own good.

I say all this with a grain of salt, its an enjoyable project but I can't help but hear all the missing elements where layers of synths colliding now feel sparse as minimal synth carry things forward with some compensating guitar riffs laid underneath. It all ebbs and flows, some songs carry this burden more than others and leave a listener desiring the richness of the originals. Prepare For Battle being a great example where the song goes through utterly bare sections of just bass and drums alone.

When the band deviate from the purity of original songs, it rarely gives more. The Primus inspired slap bass licks, guitar shredding solos and drum fill barrages to send off songs don't sound particularly fresh or exciting, just that typical theatrical Rock thing to do. On the flip side these distortion guitars shine bright. The crisp and bold tone resonates well and brings a lot to compliment the original compositions.

The non metallic cover of Dusk Hour is a reminder of just how many games Frank wrote great music for. Some tracks from Red Alert 2 make it in with a pair of medley songs adding elements from further along in the franchise I was unfamiliar with. Overall its a huge treat to enjoy but for the most part I'll be continuing with the remastered songs as only a handful of songs here elevate the original music.

Rating: 6/10

Frank Klepacki "Command & Conquer Remastered Soundtrack" (2020)

The remastering of Westwood Studio's classic Command & Conquer games is such a great excuse to write about the fantastic soundtrack that accompanied it. Reflecting on the twenty five years since I played this MSDOS game as a kid shines a light how inadvertently it may have shaped my musical taste. The game's sole musician Frank Klepacki took the emerging Industrial Metal sound of the 90s and forged it into a beautifully atmospheric and mood altering layer of the experience that transcended the immersive world of role play strategy and control over militarized units. Some years after initially playing these games I yearned to hear the music again and tinkering with tools obtained from the internet I was able to to extract the audio from all the games and their expansion packs and burning them onto audio CDs. From then and till this day I routinely enjoy them, they are simply timeless!

This remastered collection reproduces everything with a far greater audio fidelity given there were media limitations in the 90s that led to compressed 22hrz audio. These remastered songs have more clarity and depth in sound, without much in the way of compromise. Textures and quieter instruments become more visible and perk the ears with more details to notice but nothing was ever holding these songs from getting their point across. Its a delight to have the songs updated for further listening pleasure but It also comes with extras, outtakes and few missing remixes from the Playstation's Red Alert Retaliation port which I never got my hands on... until now!

Frank's music is relatively diverse, although their are surges of distortion guitar driven tracks with rocking drum grooves, the songs between calve focused atmospheres fit for the high stakes of the game. Edge and suspense is often present, never wandering into darkness or paranoia. Its electronic instruments forge both the calmer songs and upheavals of energy with plenty of 90s electronica music influence on its percussion and a fair helping of that janky stitching of sounds ever present in 80s Industrial. With Red Alert the soundtrack definitely pivots more into the electronic realm with more aggressive synths leading the way in its punchier tracks however the Metal guitar makes its legendary mark with the anthemic Hell March. The marching of feet, the creeping baseline, exploding into a fiery storm of metallic guitar, wonderful!

I'll be giving this one a ten simply to signify how much this music as a whole means to me, that also includes Red Alert 2 and Tiberian Sun too! As for the remastering, I've listened with intent ears and It doesn't seem like anything much has been tinkered or altered for restoration. Some of the reverbs become very obvious with more cavernous depth but skipping back to the originals you can hear they were there all along! That early childhood "nostalgia" is strong, the bonds formed here have been endlessly fascinating to me and always manages to take me to a good place. I am forever thankful for Frank's wonderful music and its been such a delight to see the remaster project acknowledge the music too! Will hopefully find time to play the game a little too before long.

Rating: 9/10

Hexenkraft "Deep Space Invocations: Volume I" (2019)

With an album titled Permadeath looming in the distance, actually to be released the day the masses storm Area 51, this Dark Ambient two track record caught me by surprise. It is reminiscent of both the Starcraft and Diablo OST's, which Matt Uelman had a hand in both. Its janky spacecraft industrial noises and synths mixed alongside sinister strings, foreboding horns and eerily plucked acoustic guitars sounds like a natural allegiance of the game themes. The two eight minute songs share a brilliant aesthetic pallet primed with complimenting instruments that bridge classical sounds of isolated pianos and warning strings with gaunt bursts of electronic buzzing and mechanical whirling synths. Its held together with spacious percussive sounds, often lingering in reverb and leaning into Industrial smashes and strikes as spurs of tempo muster up brief and claustrophobic surges of rhythmic pounding, mostly dispelling back into uneasy temperament.

The songs are lengthy, slow in pace and forever brooding, usually on a sense of dread or void drifting loneliness. The songs progress swaying from one moment to the next with no arching conclusion or consequence. These are snapshots of time, danger lurking, sometimes growing to close for comfort but never arriving. Its underlying tone setter, the strings, sometimes pianos and guitars too, tend to linger on a few musical themes that lack a sense of evolution. As backing music this undoubtedly sets a vivid atmosphere to be indulged in. At the forefront these instruments lack of progression or movement into an expressive phase becomes quite frustrating. There are many moments and opportunities for the swells of mysterious sound to bust into life with a melody or chord progression. That however is what made the aforementioned soundtracks so fantastic. This doesn't have to be that, but it certainly broods a particular atmosphere ripe for deployment.

Rating: 5/10

Hexenkraft "The Infernal Schism" (2017)

The Infernal Schism is the second mini album from Synthwave outfit Hexenkraft. Its a pivot from the genres tropes to a far more fitting direction. The diabolical theme, present in name, presentation and sound, finds a different temperament across its five tracks. The pulsating, energetic, oscillating synths are deployed at a steady pace with a target on atmosphere and scale, as opposed to high octane onslaught that came before. Gone are the driving, thudding kicks and cutting snares of club EDM beats. Now the drum patterns utilize space as a weapon, casting a bare framework to build percussive tangents out of, many of which are rather gaudy and unsatisfying given the pallet of sounds. Clinging to them, a swirl of unraveling synths, buzzing and phasing across the soundscape. Loose forms of melodies drop in and out of focus and occasionally some heights are scaled by lead synths playing out a form of nightly adventurous solo. There is even an actual distortion guitar solo stashed in here too.

Despite this pivotal move to a steady, brooding beast, the same problems plague the music. Its overselling of the theme leaves a couple tracks out of color. It does however conjure streaks of gusto as its components align with a sinister presence, the likes found from the comfort of a video game. The final track gets fired up with aid from heretic samples. After its opening phase the song lulls with suspense as its synths steadily build to the unleashing of some chunky Industrial Metal style guitar emulating tones. Its got Metal fever and energy to match, a big bow out for a rather mediocre project. A lot of the record is meandering and without conclusion of direction. The occasional Doom snippets muster some excitement but unless in the right mood, often as background music, it doesn't hold up so well. It would however make a fantastic game soundtrack. Music like this often does and If I had gotten into it charging down corridors of a demon infested mars base, blasting weapons at beastly creatures, I'm sure id love it. Its a fair grade better than the debut, the shift in direction a fitting one but there is still a long way for this project to go in my opinion.

Favorite Track: Diabolus Ex Nihilo

Rating: 5/10

Hexenkraft "Hexenkraft" (2016)

With the discovery of Hexenkraft Ive stumbled upon one musicans diabolical answer to the retro inspired Synthwave scene. The music already tends to lean towards shadows given its origins in 80s Horror through the soundtracks of John Carpenter. Dance With The Dead embody that spirit and others like Dan Terminus takes it in a night life, cyber punk direction. This project however takes a clear inspiration from video game Doom with its satanic iconography and similarities to the soundtrack.

Its "evil" inspiration is far more thematic than felt, the record deploys no low fidelity ambiguity, wretched screaming or ripping guitars. It turns in the opposite direction, its synths cut hard buzz saw waves with instantaneous attacks and minimal decays for harsh envelopes to deliver a punchy, snappy, high octane experience of electronics. It initially turned me off, the aesthetics came across sterile and clinical but through its construct does emerge a sense of atmosphere and partially devilish semantics.

 The music has a core of firm tempo drum patterns that rattle off slick, hard, thumping percussive aesthetics over a triad or more of basslines. They groove in the form of razor sharp waves toting dexterous, textural oscillations off one another. Its a driving force in the low range that leaves room for its lead synths to queue in the melody and direction in the spaces above. Once again its achieved with slick and pristine wave forms, often transitioning through some form of phase effect on its journey.

The Hexenkraft name and evil intention is a little overplayed in comparison to the musics tone. Its final of four tracks does strike a nerve with an audio sample, probably from a horror movie. Two figures exchang dialog of diabolic inspiration and the ferocity of the possessed individuals voice brings a menace and danger the instrumentals don't muster on their own. Its been a fun listen but the name and nefarious artwork oversells itself in comparison to what other artists have done with this theme.

Favorite Track: Inspirati A Diabolo

Rating: 4/10

Jean Michel Jarre "Magnetic Fields" (1981)

The fun of this retro synth journey has begun to flicker as my interest wavers in these chirpy adventures on the timely frontier of electronic music. With this next installment we are introduced to an emboldened foray of punchier buzz saws and sine waves that come rather close to tones heard on the NES game system. Its a sharper, harder hitting record that starts of with an opening seventeen minute tangent song. Its got a cool temperament and darker undercurrent reminiscent of Oscillotron. Unfortunately it doesn't manifest in that direction and the music fleets through various arrangements with a lack of direction and disorienting cohesion that meanders.

With a lack of clear event, build up or emotional entanglement, the music can easily slip from focus and descend into a rattling whirl of animated synths zapping away in the distance. The second track deploys a jarring stereo shuffle beat of claps that dispels the magic of its lead melody which itself is quite the ear worm. The last three tracks expand the pallet and experiment with different tones, temperaments and sound sampling but there is little going on to resurrect my already lukewarm feeling. The first few listens were enjoyable but quickly it lost its charm. Oxygene and Equinoxe were a blast but moving to the eighties Im sensing there isn't much left for me in his sound, so I conclude my exploration of Jean Michel Jarre's music here.

Rating: 5/10

Tim Shiel "Glowing Pains: Music From The Gardens Between" (2018)

I have fond memories of discovering Duet, back in the earliest of days spent writing these music blogs. Australian composer Tim Shiel's latest Glowing Pains, an indie game soundtrack, brings about a familiar realm of soothing ambience, ambiguous cloudy places that shape mood and induce relaxation with the powers of the subtle and inconsequential sound. Its forty one minutes play with an apprehension towards pace yet faintly drifting us through the passing seasons with its iterations.

This timeless place of simplicity lingers in limbo between childish innocence and frozen stillness as quirky murmuring instruments, long yawning airy synths and indifferent melodies bring about the distinct vision some artists reach. His hallmarks of winding backwards samples and the chirping of birds are infrequent as Tim homes in on the lungs of instruments as they breathe in and out of focus at a crawling pace.

A feeling of duality marks these songs as a stillness holds within it a pale life life. Time has slowed down as we gaze upon a moment in time immortalized by a lack of motion. Snow falls like it may never reach a surface, winds blow with no gust at all and the echos never bounce back. For whatever vision a song may conjure, it feels like an eternal moment of reflection. Never sad, upbeat, esoteric or even truly ambiguous, everything feels earnest and without exaggeration, letting an unenthusiastic beauty resonate.

Throughout the record a significant vocal inclusion makes itself known with a fair helping of featured vocalists who enter their soft and breathy human presences into otherwise devoid soundscapes. It works wonderfully until the last song where the two don't quite vibrate together. Through these drifting atmospheres the occasional bass guitar line strolls up and past the limelight, emerging like an occasional guest. It was a meager detail I enjoyed. Fine record.

Rating: 7/10

Front Line Assembly "Warmech" (2018)

Fun fact, on my way to a Plini gig I arrived at the wrong venue. These Canadian Industrial veterans were playing there, I wouldn't of minded watching them too. Its been many years since I last checked in with FLA. I remember them as having the classic synthetic, Electronic, Gothic leaning Industrial sound which I grew to love through the likes of Frank Klepacki. In the 90s they flirted with Industrial Metal after Ministry laid the path, just before its commercial peak with Antichrist Superstar in 96.

Being out of the loop, I was unaware that Warmech was the soundtrack to an RTS game called AirMech Wastelands on Steam. That might explain why this record wasn't what I expected. The Industrial sounds I anticipated linger beyond a solid core of modern Electronic and EDM styles that aim to build atmospheres with music that's not in your face yet rich with synthetic instruments coercing an environmental approach that draws in the meditative vibe VGM requires to let the player drift in and out of focus from the soundtrack. At seventy three minutes its a long listening stretch clearly, better suited to its intended purpose of semi-distracted gaming sessions.

Considering these are old, experienced minds at work I did not expect to hear the sub wobbles and drops of Dubstep working angles on the music. Their seasoned selves showed as the drops refrain from being overly bombastic and obnoxious, resulting in a crafty execution of trendy techniques. With hard thudding kick and snare grooves the songs often cruise into EDM territory with some faster percussive loops leaning towards Drumstep. Like with Metal, Electronic music can so easily blur many lines and show influences. Whatever may be on display its composition holds onto that craft for detailed arrangements of instruments and industrial sounds that give the atmosphere conjured a depth of field. Better yet this detail extends into the musics progression as the songs make shifts and breaks with animated sequences of sound that often play like machines firing up their gears and getting into transitional motion.

Across its seventy plus minutes a healthy amount of variety unfolds however it does suffer a little when exclusively in focus, slow tempos and drawn out melodies show a desire to not be intrusive. The best way to enjoy these songs is when focused on a task, then it becomes meditative and helps one focus while creating vivid soundscapes. As a result of that tone its most ambitious melodies and epic synth chords get pushed back in the musics attention as that and a lack of vocals never try to steal the show from the game it was made for. If not for the soundtrack some adjustments and vocals could of made this a great traditional record too.

Rating: 6/10

Dance With The Dead "Loved To Death" (2018)

Right as I feel like I'm clued up on their sound and back catalog, Californian duo Dance With The Dead drop a brand spanking new record which I wasn't particularly in the mood for. At this point their sound is played out on a personal level. The 80s John Carpenter soundtrack nostalgia ride has been explored and so this new collection of tracks does little unexpected or even exciting at this point. The aesthetics sound unchanged if only refined and polished a fraction. Loved To Death doesn't deploy any distinct theme or spin a twist, its another ten straight tracks of dark, dense and melody rich Synthwave playing to its niche.

On occasions the music musters intrigue with some under utilized avenues, Red Moon introduces metallic rhythm guitar to the forefront for brief instances. War deploys some gargling synths that fluctuate like a Dubstep drop. Similar deep textural synths rumble on different wavelengths in bursts but beyond these brief glimpses of places for the sound to expand the music mostly sticks to its guns with the same digestible arrangements of pumping horror soundtrack boldness and neon lit nightlife adventure melodies.

When the music shows signs of something new its always limited to aesthetic and so the record drifts on by at the same pace. Its predictable, yet wonderfully executed. Hard to critique but all to palatable. I did enjoy the occasional cheesy 80s Hair Metal solo, it has a fitting place here but unfortunately none of the tracks stepped beyond what I expected of the band and so it just sounded routine and repetitive. Good music but desperately in need of a new direction.

Rating: 4/10

Dance With The Dead "The Shape" (2016)

After the disappointment of Send The Signal we jump forward to The Shape, the California duo's most recent album, which restores much of the dark and playful, EDM pounding, nostalgic Retro Wave to its prime. This record doesn't appear to revive the guitar leads and 80s Metal accents, instead it finds its form in a leaning towards the fun and comical horror of zombie movies and the like. Its key melodies play like a howl in the wind with a touch of the spooky and creepy, however the audience is kept safe from harm behind the glossy aesthetic of gleaming electronic instruments and the continuous thud of Dance beats.

Its a very likable record, it rests itself firmly within the night club as its relentless snare and kick drive keeps the pulsating energy flowing while its lead instruments explore the themes over top of chugging Industrial guitars that lay behind the dazzling synths to add some texture and force to the sound. Its a squeaky clean sound, polished almost to a fault as a lack of natural feel leaves the music lingering in a sterile environment where its monotonous pounding sometimes loses charm.

The mid song Adrift does an important job toning down the energy and giving the record some room to breathe as its punchy, fast attacking synths rarely break formation. Its organized, mechanical and industrious, all the parts of the machine fire on demand and leave the music without many organic or fluid moments but obviously that's not what its aiming for. Its a finely tuned engine blazing down the night highway, illuminated by neon lights reflecting from the towers of a never ending city. 

As the album draws on it drifts further from the undercurrent of spooky, horror related melodies that gave it some spice in the get go. It starts to feel rather generic and bland however its arrangement of sharp and keen synths keep a high energy engaging. The last two song bring back some guitar fever and Quietly Into The Night hits a high note as soft piano opens up a slow, open, atmospheric song that's engulfed by an epic display of lead guitar shredding. Its far from where the record but a great note to fade out on. Although the records theme doesn't last the stretch its got plenty of good to go around.

Favorite Tracks: Eyes Of Madness, Her Ghost, Adrift, Quietly Into The Night

Rating: 6/10

Dance With The Dead "Send The Signal" (2014)

Getting back to the Retro Wave goodness we tune in again with the Californian duo for a disappointing successor to the wonderful and vivid Into The Abyss record. Released at the end of the same year its a little longer in length at twenty nine minutes but feels stripped back in comparison. Gone is the enigmatic impact of guitar leads and solos that guide the songs direction. The electronic instruments don't feel as layered or dense in both texture and composition. Its essentially tapping into similar moods with darkly night life moods inspired by horror movies and "things that go bump in the night", without a specific characteristic.

Perhaps its a case of fatigue from two sets of songs that both stick very rigidly to formulas that work, bright and punch synths playing simplistic short melodies on repeat. Phasing synths and drum rolls help build up suspense and alleviate tension as the music raises and lowers the intensity frequently as it explores its melodic direction. Without a standout track and minimal impact from the muted use of guitars I came away from this record wishing that something could of defined it better since its blueprint is essentially the same as before. Disappointing but only in comparison, this style and sound is still fun and enjoyable.

Rating: 4/10

Dance With The Dead "Into The Abyss" (2014)

Californian duo Dance With The Dead are another popular group within the Retro Wave niche that I had encountered a couple years back. I was introduced to the music via the PC game NeuroVoider and its soundtrack composed by Dan Terminus. One of the first observations you may make about their sound is how similar to the Terminus style it is, as if its been cast from the same mold. I'm not trying to make point, I do not know enough about the micro genre to know who the key players and influences are, if nostalgia itself hasn't played a large roll in that. To be fair most of what Ive heard from Retro Wave sticks very firmly to the vibes, aesthetics and theme heard on Into The Abyss, the bands second album which clocks in at twenty four minutes.

With tight pumping EDM kicks, snappy snares making up grooving, thumping dance beats, a warm array of vibrant synthesizers accompanies as the duo repackage eighties Synthpop into a dark and lean nostalgia ride of horror culture and VGM influences that creates this stunning atmosphere fit for neon lit cities in the dark of night. Its ripe with melody and color, the constant roll of thudding dance drums and dexterous melodies chiming over thick unrolling baselines and layered chiming of sharp synths creates a thick, absorbing atmosphere that's hard to resist!

Within the mix are very finely tuned distortion guitars, set to meld into the scenery like another electronic instrument yet having a powerful influence. They help flesh out the monotony of the pitch perfect electronic music and add what feels like the "voice" of this otherwise instrumental affair. With them comes a throw back to eighties Metal vibes, songs like Odyssey and Battle livening up the music with slick guitar leads that sound like they may of been plucked from an Ozzy Osbourne record. They are sleek and tonal licks that guide the music on its path and occasionally swap up the roll with slick keyboard solos. The more rigid notes and pitch modulation gives it away but on the surface they sound almost the same.

Its a short and sweet record, a great introduction to a duo who seem to execute this style in just the right chemistry for my taste! With another four records and b-sides compilation in their back catalog it seems I have no excuse not to work my way through them! I Really enjoyed this one, fast to get to grips with and has a very nice atmosphere fit for particular moods.

Favorite Track: Suede

Rating: 6/10

Lord Lovidicus "Saeculorum" (2018)

Upon seeing its sacred, biblical art album cover I was overcome with excitement, Lord Lovidicus has been one of the most interesting artists to follow over the years. Progressing from decrepit visions of mysterious, nostalgic Dungeon Synth, evolving the sound to lush and serine compositions of runic magic, his music has been painting vivid and uplifting visions of ancient cultures. That path is probably why I found myself instantaneously understanding what this record was about, its cover a perfect fit for the music behind the facade and an inspired step forward for the artist.

More than ever does Lord inch closer to the realms of whats unfortunately generalized into "video game music". To more accurately describe the style, its akin to scenic soundtracks of dragon-born kings and fairy-tale lands, the likes of Skyrim and the other Elder Scrolls games. I think Lord's vision here is more likely to be routed in the Roman era with the Latin title signifying the length of mortal life and its two songs, split into smaller tracks, Latin for gold and silver. Whatever its inspiration the music is majestic, yet cultured and very much romanticizes with a forgotten civilization.

With soft and simple stringed instruments, the cries of trumpets, horns and the occasional pounding of war drums, the opening track Aurum has an uplifting gleam of might about it as we travel on a timely adventure across lands. It climaxes with the wonderful Saturunus Dethroned, making its mark with an intriguing pallet of arcane choral synths that meld human voices with the gods, as if calling down from the heavens above. Argentum paints a similar cultural vision of splendid valor from the upper echelon of society, its glory and wealth soaring its way to the clouds above. That is just my interpretation, I picture scholars and politicians lavished in white robes, gazing on grapes, lounging in serine gardens as they indulge in conversation of primitive philosophy as adventures explore beautiful scenic lands off in the distance.

The aesthetic value of the music is carefully poised. It sounds fit for the rich and lavish production a studio budget could afford yet resides on basic midi tones dressed in soft reverb. Its just enough to capture the majesty the compositions behold. The music shines brightly through it with this pallet of instruments however it in some moments becomes crowded in layered crescendos and some lighter compositions like Rivers Of Nectar sound a little exposed when only two instruments are in play at once. Its nothing to complain about, the whole record is spell bounding with impressive song progressions and structures that show Lord is continuing to both evolve the sound and grow as a musician.

Favorite Tracks: Saturunus Dethroned, The Monad, The Divine Spark

Rating: 8/10

Izioq "Hey Listen!" (2018)

Within the space of a week we have been graced with two new, short but sweet Izioq records! Late Night Golfing ventured into the spacey, nostalgic world of vaporware and the cutely named Hey Listen! brings us back to familiar territory. Its another selection of warm, fuzzy and carefree songs arriving here, set to relax and wind us down with colorful melodies that breeze through fields of innocence. Much of this record hits on the familiar childhood feels, the mixing of retro textured Chiptune VGM instruments and soft synths with warm piano melodies is as vibrant and characteristic as ever. Another round of youthful and spirited songs play us through the wonders of imagination, Its much of what Ive said before that applies again and so its probably unsurprising that my focus turns to the moments of difference.

The title track erupts with some spice as Latino guitars bustle warm cultural chords, somehow mixing right in with splashes of sound that introduce bright, cheerful melodies on chirpy waveform instruments, the chemistry is wonderful and unexpected. Hermits gets a nod for its wonderfully quirky opening tune that swiftly finds its way into a warm and spirited place as the music so often does, its opening goof diverting expectations. The Album will perk ears with a sampling of Lisa Simpsons voice, the song itself slow and dreamy, drifting in a precarious, slightly dreary but free of danger atmosphere. The final track Happy Meal sounds almost like another project altogether, its deep and rich atmosphere pulling on emotional strings similar to the likes of Sigur Ros, its welcome but feels like a different avenue of mood. All in all its another fine collections of melodies with a couple of sparks from rewarding experimentation.

Favorite Tracks: Hey Listen!, Hermits

Rating: 5/10

Izioq "Late Night Golfing" (2018)

Coming in just shy of sixteen minutes we have a new, short and concise release from Izioq, the French composer of fun, playful music that ties itself closely to video game music and 90s childhood nostalgia. Late Night Golfing is the first album to experiment beyond the traditional style Izioq has established, with clear and obvious Vapourwave vibes which are also echoed in the albums cover. Its saturated colors and 90s computer rendering art being in tune with the genres practices, as well as the music itself.

It doesn't however feel like much of an experimentation, the tone and atmosphere feels settled and established with the Vapourwave aesthetic from the get go, however that doesn't start until the third song. The first two feel like the link between records as lead melodies play out inspiring, innocent tunes over soft, airy, floating synth tones, much like you would expect. With Golf! the record kicks into gear, the melodies dwindle down to simpler forms and the atmosphere of warm and wavy cloud synths take over in a meditative persuasion.

For these five songs a simple set of instruments and light reverberated percussion shift on simple A B structures. The compositions capture that airy, carefree and indulgent mood and they inhabit a sweet spot to drift into as the repetition drones in comfort. The last track has some strong Brian Eno vibes and the whole thing is simply pleasant and easy on the listener, its only downfall is perhaps the lack of time spent in this curious, easy going place. At just sixteen minutes each listen requires a repeat!

Favorite Tracks:

Rating: 4/10

Izioq "Music To Play In Your Head" (2017)

Izioq's latest assembly of fantasy, carefree and innocent video game alike music comes to us in two halves, a twenty eight track record split by a four track "Game Jam". Its the sixth full length and the first to potentially aim in a new direction however upon many listens it becomes quite clear that this release is an assortment of ideas and short compositions with no overall objective of theme beyond the usual carefree wonder of childhood Izioq aims to, and succeeds, in capturing with his melodies.

The majority of songs here are instrumental loops with several variations of melody from the lead. None of the songs surpass three minutes and tend to linger around ninety seconds. As a result there is very little progression or musical events at hand but rather moments of atmosphere captured by a small ensemble of luscious lullaby sounds to indulge with. In its first half we have more of the traditional style at work however strong influences of Nobuo Uematsu can be heard in a handful of places, to much delight of course. The middle "Game Jam" section is where the experimentation starts. Quirkier sounds and samples come into play, sequenced drums adjoin and beyond it the second half loosens up with songs like "Chop Chop" bringing a Jazz Hop vibe thanks to a sampled beat and "Organ Doctor" goofs around with a fast thudding baselines and quirky electronic melodies on top.

This second half looses me somewhat as the tracks tend to jump around from one to the next, the instruments, tone and vibes shuffle from one song to the next, dispelling atmosphere. As an album experience this doesn't amount to much more than a snug collection of compositions however the first half does have a lot more consistency that flows well. I hope this experimentation can lead to a more cohesive direction for Izioq as there are many interesting ideas on display here.

Favorite Tracks: Unagi Loneliness, Lost Marbles, Mare E Sole, Past Is Serious, Organ Doctor

Rating: 5/10