Calliope Music Rapid Reviews
Sadness / abriction - sadness // abriction
Experimental Artists, Sadness and abriction Share Mellifluous Summertime Nostalgia in an Orange Bloodbath of Lo-fi Shoegaze.
Heaving electric guitar slithers in thick layers of distortion, droning while bulky bass bounces underneath and clean lead guitar serenades above. Harsh vibrations and righteous melodies work along Punk-inspired drumming to delineate dense storms of reminiscence and young love. Such sentiment is conveyed further through a coalition of sugary refrains and harrowing screams, manifesting both pulpy and hardcore aspects of Emo music.
The beauty of this record is in its atmosphere, where stratified guitar paints Midwest landscapes of warmth and comfort. The vocals beckon to this feeling of tenderness, often drowning in overwhelming shock waves of electrified strings. Such waves ebb and flow, building extended progressions where heavy shoegazing is juxtaposed with bright keys and blazing synth leads. There are even moments of rainy ambiance, acting as bridges between strident noise and sparkling harmonies. It is this glittering aura that provides clarity to clouded masses of sound, establishing a sort of magical hypnotism that locks one's ears and attention into place.
That being said, such attention does uncover a few troubles. Lo-fi production complements the heady tone of the project, but ultimately limits its range. The most notable product of a condensed mix is the fidelity of the drums. While at its most thunderous parts, the drums yield commanding kicks and gleaming cymbals, empty spaces reveal murky ornamentations. Therefore, the mix is left in discomfort until artifacts are again washed away by gushing guitar.
Even with manufacturing limitations, the split album endures in its creative honesty. Lyrics of yearning, dreaming, and childhood memories flood into vast soundscapes, desperately urging to be placed back in moments of solace. One example of this pure and unbridled sentiment comes in the final track, where abriction chants of an all encapsulating love:
"So pure and still,
I want this feeling to last forever,
When our lips part ways and our eyes meet,
Blue and brown like a dark Winter night,
Meeting her Summer morning sky"
abriction goes on to completely envelop themselves in this radiating love with the finishing line:
"My eyes soaked up from the burning orange glow encircling us,
Run with me, we could hide away in fantasy,
Drown me in your warm embrace,
Tears soak my face in endless pace"
The motif of incandescence coupled with a most intense and impassionate intimacy is exactly what drives this album into any heart that chooses to reminisce along. Such lachrymose vocalization in company with melting Shoegaze make sadness // abriction a striking odyssey of sunbathed nostalgia.
Best Tracks: something in the summer rain -- please... -- breaking through the clouds -- her summer morning sky
8/10
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