Overall, Gesaffelstein is back and certainly sharing a different tone of voice. As a fellow French person, it is the malaise we all feel. He then settles into a dark mood to close out the album that channels his melancholy into three more songs that get more and more subdued from the chugging “Vortex,” to the melodic “Memora.” He finishes on the nearly 11 minute song “Humanity Gone” that feels like a apocalyptic film score decrying the state of the world we live in today. Electric Youth’s airy vocals counterbalance the dark and smooth synths before the song switches about 3/4s of the way through into a glitchy techno record. He then channels dark synthwave into “Forever” with Tim Hacker and Electric Youth, probably the strongest collaboration on the entire album. “So Bad” uses quivering low end and skittering drums as HAIM softly coo about waiting for a love that won’t come. His next two collabs embrace a darker, more subdued sound. Then he decides to hit you straight in the chest with the dark and driving “Reset” that is the closest you will get to “Pursuit” on the album. It is cheery in a way, but there is a creepiness to it as if a clown is waiting at the end of this carnival ride. The album starts with the title track "Hyperion," a quirky and somewhat odd table setter that pans quickly back and forth its fast oscillating, almost carnival-like melody. That should have been pretty clear going into this. He has grown in the past six years and clearly doesn’t want to copy himself with another Aleph. The album showcases several different sides of his production, while still not forgetting his dark techno roots. Now we have the complete album to judge it as a full body of work, we can put these songs into context and judge how it all sounds together. It is true there weren’t the pop or R&B leaning collabs with acts like The Weeknd or HAIM, but it also wasn’t 14 copies of “Hate or Glory” or “Pursuit.” There were some low-fi techno and cinematic records mixed in as well that helped make up the body of the album. If you are strictly trying to judge based on fans reactions, you might be a bit disappointed, but they also seem to be forgetting what Aleph was in its entirely.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |