Entry #: 0001
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synthwave/Dark Synth
Artist: Perturbator
Country of Origin: France
Album: The Uncanny Valley
Year of Release: 2016
Notes: Yeah I realize Kiiii (briefly) looked at this record. But between Kiiii and Chiomara I have to start somewhere with all of this synthwave!
Impressions:
You can’t spell impressions without impress. This album did just that. This record embodies the style and sound of what the future would sound like to the people living in 1982. Neon lights, fast hover cars, cyberspace leaking out into the real world. The atmosphere and the world building this record accomplishes is mind boggling. The very first track, Neo Tokyo, takes you through a fantastic speedy voyage through what would be looked as a Ghost in the Shell ripoff. I tell you what, I love heavy beats, and speedy synths and Neo Tokyo is not one to disappoint in those regards. The next track, Weapons for Children, sets up a brooding heavy atmosphere. A little claustrophobia never hurt anyone and you can feel it on this track at times. I feel like I’m wandering through the world of Blade Runner. I will be coming back to that idea of feeling throughout this whole album. Because, I will tell you what… This album makes me feel.
The next track I want to mention is the fabulous mood setter, Femme Fatale (feat. Highway Star) (Quick Note: I will plan on exploring Highway Star in the future.) Honestly, this track feels like the type of song I expect to hear in a club from the distant future. A space bar, or exotic dancing club. Its got the groove, the atmosphere, the pace changes. The scene gets set and plays out for my ears. I love this track. The different brass and drums create such an enticing world for the listener to really sink their teeth into.
Disco Inferno is the next one on the list of notable songs. This was my first experience from this record because it got played in plug. This one is very epic. I get the word could be seen as cliche but holy smokes is this track soaring. The wonderful thing about this whole album really, and it is exemplified on this track, would be Perturbator’s, James Kent, sense of timing. It can be easy to get lost in the many tools at one’s disposal when constructing electronic music, at least I would think so. Instead on this record there is a pace that is comfortable for the listener, it kept me engaged the whole way through. I felt excited, relaxed, paranoid, claustrophobic, and just plain happy throughout the record. The emotions I got to feel really blew me away.
Another track I want to talk about is Diabolus Ex Machina. This one is pretty similar to Disco Inferno with the exception that it felt a little redundant at times. No album in my mind is perfect and this one certainly has its issues. Diabolus Ex Machina brings in some guitar soloing that, while cool at times, can feel a little off putting in the mix of things. I can’t deny the track itself though is still solid and I still enjoy it, just not as much as other tracks in a similar style. Skipping ahead, I want to make a special mention of the track Souls at Zero (feat. Astronoid). Astronoid released a fantastic atmospheric post rock/metal record last year. So their inclusion on the record both surprised me and excited me. I was expecting a little more instrumentation on this track. But instead I was presented with a pretty atmospheric and dark track. Astronoid's singer Brett Boland provides vocals on the track. Nothing special but they certainly add to the mix. The song overall progressed through many stages. Dark and brooding, accepting and understanding, at one point I imagined the characters of this song, (Note: this is not a concept album. At least to my knowledge it is not.) that showed up in my head to be relinquishing themselves to some higher being. I don’t know. It just sounded cool in my head. The final track, the title track of the album, is march through the staple sounds of the genre. I felt it embodied exactly what this genre has to offer in a neat little package.
Overall, the record is big, dark, epic, and executed fantastically. Sometimes I feel the tracks can feel a little too big for their own good. They become closer to space age style rather than that futuristic synthwave style. Once again, I am not in the least bit knowledgeable on the intricacies of the genre. I am learning. So far I have learned that this style of music has a lot of potential. I think this album on the couple of listens I have had with it is a great gateway into the genre. It certainly pulled me, an outsider, in rather quickly. I’ll have to come back to this one, but I think it is a great record.
Initial Score: The Uncanny Valley receives an
8.5 out of
10
Standout Tracks: Neo Tokyo, Femme Fatale (feat. Highway Star), Disco Inferno, Assault, Souls at Zero, The Uncanny Valley
Weaker Tracks: Diabolus Ex Machina, The Cult of 2112 (Neither of these tracks are bad per se, they just are the biggest offenders of the problems I had with the record overall)
Alright, you got me hooked. Now what? Well I know what's next. But you will have to wait until entry 0002 to find out. I hope you enjoyed the first part of this genre dive. Feel free to continue suggesting albums and artists. Also let me know what you think of the format for this journal. As always thanks for reading!