This ten track release covers many sounds and emotions but there is a palpable Phaserland atmosphere that emanates throughout all his tracks. The sounds feel lighter than air and electrified with a natural power. Each experience is full to bursting with these charged details and nuances but it's Phaserland's own style which makes the ambiance work brilliantly in a way that never becomes heavily congested or uneasy to listen to. Action and excitement are crisply engineered alongside the jazzier breeziness of other tracks and he moves betwixt these dimensions seamlessly.
The first outing on the album is 'Top Of The Needle' which really sets the clarity and rousing nature of Phaserland's music exceptionally well. Uplifting melodies get brought back to earth and hammered out into newly conceived ideas with a refined eclecticism that adds even more charm to the music. The lead melody is an elation of positivity and it's success is anchored by witty, darting passages of much delight.
'China, Silver & Gold' alludes to a much more grounded, rock steady beat that jams with a colourfully alive palette. I'm not sure if it's the instruments or the arrangements, or perhaps a combination of both that really gives it a synth jazz flavour not unlike the work Japan's Toshiki Kadomatsu and other composers of the 80s that breathed sweet life into electronic sounds. The liveness of the synthscape is completely enthralling and provides the perfect canvas for Phaserland to work his art on.
A more futuristic and science fiction themed passage follows in 'Sky Structure 84 E'. Although it's unmistakably drawing imagery from technologies far beyond our current reach, the piece manages to retain a vibrant human energy via the guitar work and synth solos. These melodic adventures are soulfully performed with great passion. The future-tech sterility and humanised elements play off each other in a dignified and respectful manner that is thoroughly enchanting to partake in.
Phaserland turns the the mood to suave sophistication in track four, 'Magenta Eyes'. The airy melodies that hang on cool evening breezes and echo and dance amid flickering city lights. The listening is easy and relaxing, guitars intimate more energetic possibilities but it's the synths that caress and flow with effortless beauty. The sun drops behind the deep horizon and the night comes alive with sounds and visions, our conversation with the night continues in earnest.
'The Dangers Of Android Love' is the next chapter with robotic structures and positively progressive passages that get funkier and funkier as the inquisitive artificial intelligence develops deeper affections. The instrumentation on this track is a cavalcade of sounds that are very inventively crafted and give a great insight into Phaserland's songwriting talents. Each new moment is welcomed and explored, inviting you in to it's world and then taking you deeper into the narrative. 'The Dangers Of Android Love' gets the perfect balance of hooky refrains and surprising new twists and turns.
Moving to a more desolate location we find 'Dark Streets'; a situation in which Phaserland explores things in a more introverted way with stunningly transfixing guitars driving the piece. Atmospheric synths set a scene of slight malaise and trepidation until the instruments all join up in unison to cast brilliant light on the subject. The way Phaserland plays the sounds off each other is just wonderful as he not only creates a new chapter in the story with each passage but retains the thematic most lucidly.
I do believe that 'Alone In Paradise' is my personal favourite track on this record. Coming out the 'Dark Streets' this piece introduces more frenetic energy into things. Melodies are vibrant and pulsating with rainbows of colour that the guitars then soar upon into the stratosphere. This piece really encapsulates the Phaserland aesthetic as all his individual hallmarks are present while adding just that bit more rockin to proceedings courtesy of a guitar track that is allowed to be more wild and untamed.
A sensually passionate energy flows into view in 'Night Talk', as the conversation slinks into the boudoir and the animal instincts become uncontrollable. The music meanders in sultry dimensions, between the sheets, moonlit and completely insatiable. Phaserland manages to keep things tasteful and doesn't work too blue, instead opting for a jazz rendezvous that lets our imaginations do all the dirty work.
'She's A Hologram Tonight' gets things moving in the direction of the dancefloor as gyrating basslines and disco guitars groove as one into a rhythmic vision one can't help but be transfixed by. The artist adds layer upon layer of lovingly performed details and yet still retains a completely weightless aesthetic to the synthscape. The dancing sounds move like celestial lights, unaffected by gravity and driven by sparkling energies.
The album is completed with the enthralling 'Stagelight Dusk' which introduces a naturally performed vocal track for the first time on the record. By using vocals Phaserland's synthscape is given a more human face that gestures fancifully at being Synth Pop, but the vocals are merely hinted at and are used as haunting refrain and don't get to play a more powerful role.
This may be a bit of experimentation on Phaserland's behalf and I can appreciate how getting the right balance between vocal and instrumental work must be difficult due to it's less regimented and free form nature. Nevertheless this final piece piques my interest for even more possibilities from Phaserland's imagination and is a marvellous example of his musical prowess. 'Stagelight Dusk' finishes the conversation of 'Night Talk In Paradise' rather succinctly, capping off a wonderful experience in quality synthual delights.
This record is a massively impressive debut, and that deserves much love and respect as Phaserland's sounds contain a beautiful individuality that is rare in the 80s inspired synth scene. With his jazzy, progressive movements; punctuated with catchy refrains and detailed explorations it's impossible not to recognise a Phaserland track almost instantly. His use of guitars bridges so many worlds too, as the emotional context he implements them in shows a great understanding of the instrument. The Phaserland sound is classy and dignified, it's thoughtful and invigorating and most importantly it creates a new dimension of 80s inspired synthscapes that rock to the max.
Waverunner Records presents Phaserland's Night Talk In Paradise album on their Bandcamp page here. This producer's journey into 80s sounds is just beginning and it's already providing new experiences with a musical style that is thoroughly engaging. This album is very, very highly recommended from Synthetix.FM and solidifies Phaserland's position as one of the most exciting new producers in the scene with a record that is as fresh as it is rockin.
No comments:
Post a Comment