CANARTIC: Modulotion (CD on Dank Disk)
This release from 2010 offers 48 minutes of guitarsy dub music.
Canartic is Jon Coats and Randall Peterson.
Guitars and percussion are blended with dub effects to create a selection of bubbling tuneage.
The guitars generate a host of embellishments besides contributing traditional string sounds. Twanging chords delineate sinuous melodies, while bent strings litter the mix with novel effects. The performance is slick and versatile, exhibiting a sincere dedication to coaxing vivid moods from the guitar.
Crisp percussion provides a variety of rhythms, from languid beats to snappy tempos. In one instances wobbly rhythms excellently mesh with dreamy guitar-work, resulting in a hypnotic somnambulant experience.
Gurgling electronics and dub effects are spliced into the flow, creating lush subterranean layers that infect this stuff with a futurist edge. Some vocal snippets are present, providing organic grounding for the otherwise psychedelic motifs.
These compositions are steeped in dreamy rock roots, applying electronic sensibilities to that territory. The tuneage resonates with an appealing tingle felt deep in the cortex. Electronica elements are featured in profuse prominence throughout, flavoring the music with their esoteric disposition. The last track shows a devout evolution of traditional reggae sonics.
DEP: Start Loving the Robots (DDL on Just Dep)
This release from 2010 offers 49 minutes of heartfelt electronic music.
Dep is Danny Peck.
Contrary to its mechanical title, this album's music possesses a very organic sound, with tunes that spring from the soul to stimulate human emotions with a well rounded definition. Beyond the electronic equipment used to generate the music, there is hardly any artificiality going on.
The electronics are gentle and smooth, a combination of airy background textures and lead keyboards which strive to convey spry riffs in an understated fashion. While cycles are established as central themes, embellishments are introduced to thicken the flow and create a lustrous presence. The keyboards often employ a celestial sound which bestows the songs with a heavenly disposition.
Rhythms are utilized, providing amiable propulsion. The beats can seem plodding, only to slide into sinuous tempos and generate an engaging agitation.
A choral presence is disguised as keyboard threads, lending an angelic tincture to several pieces. Two tracks do feature actual lyrics.
These compositions express a delicate sensibility dedicated to mesmerizing then invigorating the listener with gradually swelling emotional content. While most of the music is soft, there are a few instances in which things muster definite density and oomph, achieving passages of stirring puissance.
THINGS THAT OCCUR IN NATURE: Snow Flower (CD on TTOIN)
This release from 2010 offers 32 minutes of gentle electronic music.
Keyboards conspire with rhythms and strings to generate lovely tunes of soothing temperament.
Keyboards play a vital role in this music, establishing twinkling leads backed by dreamy textural layers. Agile fingers guide the keys in engaging melodies that sparkle with a lively sense combined with a distinctly congenial attitude. A marked versatility is often applied to the overall timbre of the notes produced by the keys, ranging from haunting to spry, resulting in a nicely rounded out sound.
Guitars contribute a selection of gentle riffs as auxiliary threads in conjunction with the keyboards. Sometimes the instrument is electric with a searing voice; at other occasions the guitar is acoustic and delivers a holistic edge to the flow; and there are instances in which electric strumming achieves a soothing disposition.
Percussion supplies slick rhythms that provide suitable locomotion: not too obtrusive, not too minimal.
These compositions are short, thus affording the melodies a focus not diluted by digressing variations. While the title track begins with a subtle darkness that eventually blossoms into optimistic daylight, the album's general mood is one of contemplation with a touch of sprightly animation.
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