Categories
Reviews

Seam – Tourism/Sleeper Double EP Review

Seams, a young electro artist experimenting with sounds and finding his way, has released “Tourist/Sleeper” a double EP, including his first Album “Tourist”, previously released in 2011, along with his brand new album “Sleeper”.

The aptly titled “Tourist”, which consists of 4 tracks, paints the picture of a Seam’s 2010 summer in Berlin. Consisting of musical groves, ambient noises, and incredible sound design, Seams transports you from the “Hanging Markets” to the “Carnavale, and recreates the sounds and atmosphere he personally took in that summer.

Seams shows incredible maturity for such a young artist, building full songs that envelope the listener and offer a delicious array of sounds, timbres and textures to enjoy. He is patient with his approach, and does not rush the listener, but gently leads them through his detailed adventure.

Songs like “Nachtmusik” show Seams is much more than a sound-design loving, electro-acoustic aficionado. The pinnacle of ambience and groove, this track offers more delectable goodness. It goes down like warm velvet and is best track on this side of the EP.

“Tourism” is the kind of album you take in as a piece of art. Play it, lay down on your couch, stare at the ceiling and let your mind drift wherever it may. A passive listen, but if you want to do that, then this album is perfection. Listen to it with great earphones or speakers. It deserves it. There is an incredible attention to detail here. Fully detailed, excellently crafted.

The 4 track “Sleeper” picks off where “Tourism” left off, and specifically shows the artist growing from an ambient, atmosphere creator, to a more musically focused producer, with a more structured sound.

The up-beat “Potential” actually shows just that. While still showcasing his sound design talents and his love to paint broad strokes of detailed, spectral elegance, Seams here shows clear focus and emphasis on making a structured, “dance-able” song.

This side of the EP gives a glimpse into the type of songs that will push the electronic music scene forward. Incredible amount of detail to pick out of the tracks, while still offering a consistent and enjoyable groove.

Seams is offering something very fresh to the electronic game. Through both albums, Seams consistently serves up a lot for your ear to taste. The detail in sound design is something to be admired. Very polished and thought through. Tourism/Sleeper is electronic music for an incredibly intelligent and perceptive ear. A piece of art, but not yet a masterpiece. Excited to see where his future development and growth will take us.

Categories
Reviews

Sigur Rós – Valtari album review

“I really can’t remember why we started this record, I no longer know what we were trying to do back then. I do know session after session went pear-shaped, we lost focus and almost gave up…did give up for a while. but then something happened and form started to emerge, and now I can honestly say that it’s the only sigur rós record I have listened to for pleasure in my own house after we’ve finished it.” – georg

Sigur Rós’ newest album is characteristically awash with dove grays and soaring vocals. “Valtari” is Icelandic for “steamroller,” and the album does slowly roll along. It ranges from icily pristine to darkly murky but always remains underwater. Some songs are spacious and minimalist, others are faded and billowing. Everything is deliberate and elegant, an intricate deluge of rushing sound.

As experimental as this ambient Scandinavian hypnosis tape may seem, it’s firmly rooted in pop aesthetics. Valtari just shuffles around the supernatural beauty Sigur Ros cultivated on their first four albums. The changes are in slow motion though rather predictable and formulaic. Their signature eccentricity is preserved by way of the nonsensical lyrics, but the quirks need to multiply to stay interesting.

Valtari is good if you’re trying to fall asleep or mellow out and do some yoga. it’s too engaging to listen to while you’re reading. At the same time, it isn’t engaging enough to listen to on it’s own unless you’re a hardcore Sigur Ros fan with lots of patience. There isn’t much to distinguish Valtari from their earlier albums. It’s very pretty and Jónsi’s voice is quite lovely, but there isn’t any innovation.