Varien – Pick Your Poison Vol 1 (2013 album)

Album Links

 

Bandcamp: https://subterrarecords.bandcamp.com/album/pick-your-poison-vol-01

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/fixt/sets/varien-pick-your-poison-vol-1

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/4zGzLF81ic2CJiOlagTSVe?si=PnhZghijSquetTbLGXeM1A

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxPSxNNXfbdCo7vJ6lOTF7WSNtZGtMVhS

 

Introduction: Today, I’m introducing yet another artist to you all, giving my reviewing repertoire a little bit more variety: Varien, a man that I’d discovered quite early on compared to many of the other artists, I’ve reviewed other than perhaps Andy Hunter (who as I’ve said before is the first when it comes to electronic. I’d discovered Varien via Monstercat, a label that a stranger that I’ve completely forgotten had suggested to me, so thanks random person who I’ll never know. I don’t listen to Monstercat as much these days, but you’ve contributed to me expanding my taste a little bit more, eventually leading me to where I am today.

 

Now, while I know Varien for his work on Monstercat and the song’s he’s left since leaving the label, I still want to take a step back and look at some of the first albums he’d released under the Varien alias (he’d had previous aliases that I don’t listen to as much but I probably won’t be looking at those ones as much). Part of what attracts me to Varien so much is his combination of electronic, my favorite genre, with other styles, including energetic orchestral pieces, acoustic relaxation and today’s focus: cinematic rock.

 

So, let’s dive into the shortest album I’ve reviewed so far and inspect the various choices of poison Varien has presented.

 

 

Varien – Death Call (6.25): There is a cry in the night. An endless high-pitched tone, that never ceases. This is Death’s Call. Accompanied by a cinematic drumbeat  during the calm builds of suspense, this call screams through the night eventually leading to harsher sections filled with dubstep basslines, jumping back and forth between full- tempo and half-tempo, keeping any listener on their toes as it beckons to the last point in the drop where the highest tone and the harsh growling basslines synchronize and become one. Twice it calls. Twice I ignore.

 

I don’t plan on answering this call and I would highly recommend ignoring it for as long as you can, but seeing as this album is all about picking a poison it seems that this call is the force that’s about to present the poisons this album presents. Or perhaps it is a form of poison to choose… Let’s look at the rest.

 

Varien – Shadow People (7): Do you hear the melody in the darkness. Eight notes. Two similar sets of four rising and falling softly, behind the deep guttural growls in the night. This is a warning of what approaches. The Shadow People. The warning grows more intense as time goes on. A bassline and wavering strings raise the intensity of the call as the Shadow People draw closer and closer…

 

And then it’s all shrouded in darkness. Everything goes near silent. Only a drowned-out bassline remains struggling to be set free from the clutches of those that lurk in the dark. And if you listen closely… you can hear a heartbeat. But it’s temp and pattern… it isn’t quite human as the title, Shadow People Suggests.

 

The ominous warning breaks free. Switching back and forth between the echoing drumbeats and the bassline now screaming with intensity, louder than ever in a rushed attempt at foreboding suspense. And right when it reaches its climax, you hear five stabs…

 

Then nothing.

 

You have one short minute to escape… before they catch you.

 

Varien – Scrap Metal (5.25): Scrap Metal doesn’t just appear out of nowhere. It comes from a source. A broken-down car or some other defunct piece of machinery. As long as it’s made of metal and no longer of use, then it can be scrap metal. But it always has a history.

 

So, what happened in this metal’s history to make it sound so violent?

 

True, all of the poison in this album is rather aggressive, but an inanimate hunk of metal shouldn’t really be that intense what with the overwhelming dubstep vibe throughout the song. It’s all filled with growls and screams which frankly seem to be a bit of overkill in my book as I’d rather here some of the more cinematic suspenseful portions and while there’s a little bit in this song at the midway point, it’s not quite up to my expectations.

 

And then a possibility lurking in the back of your head begins to awaken.

 

Scrap metal must come from somewhere. A broken-down car or some other form of defunct machinery. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that the machinery met its end due to overuse. There’s something out there. Something violent and destructive towards our industrial creations.

 

And all it leaves behinds are scraps.

 

Varien – Mother Superior (7): I would agree it’s always a good idea to respect one’s mother. And it seems that Mother Superior is quite demanding of respect. As soon as she appears on the scene, there’s a familiar vibe that you may be getting used to by now, overwhelming suspense created by simple creepy melodies and echoing electronic stabs with some heavy hitting cinematic drums. A clock ticks in the background counting down to the oncoming wrath. And a mother’s wrath is something to be feared.

 

Mother Superior’s theme hits a lot of the same notes as the Shadow People. That creepy melody and bass heavy suspense leading working together with intense drums into a dubstep drop? Exactly the sense of foreboding that the Shadow People presented. Oh but the wrath here is so much stronger, the growls hit harder and the theme lasts twice as long with a second heavy attack near the end with a slight syncopation to upset the balance before once again hitting the ending of the song with some rapidfire stabs before strangling what’s left of the warnings. It’s possible that Mother Superior is the leader of them, I don’t know how this poisonous world I’m imagining from Varien’s music works down to the letter. Anything’s possible.

 

Regardless, it’s a good idea to respect your mother, but in the case of this song’s poison, it might be a matter of life or death.

 

Varien – Welcome to Hell (7.25): Oh, well what a warm welcome to Hell itself. I guess this is a fair location to visit with all the poison that’s been presented in this album. Oh, but Hell is not a place for relaxation. I have no idea why you’d ever expect that looking at any of the religious sources describing the torturous side of the afterlife. Also, the theme of this album does seem to be quite the gritty violent vibe.

 

Oh, it’s a quiet welcome at first. Just a slight rumble with ever approaching growls echoing in the distance, but when the drums begin and the growls become more prominent, the song takes a slightly more upbeat distorted vibe providing a slight distorted note on every beat. And of course, as it continues on, there’s a climax midway through the song where the basslines reach their full potential with a violent depiction of the horrors that await. I even believe I hear some screams in there at some points, though perhaps the late night is making me delusional.

 

The song ends just as it began, with the faint growls echoing in the distance as they fade away…

 

But they’ll be back.

 

Hell is eternal.

 

Varien – Technical Difficulties (8): Anyways, after abandoning the absolute most horrifying place in all of existence, it’s time to move on to perhaps the best theme in the entire album. Oh, I’m not even going to try and hide behind some lore this time. I’m mostly just trying to use that to give a little bit of variety and atmosphere to the review, but this song? This one needs some special attention to its music.

 

Technical Difficulties has absolutely every strength from any of the other songs on this album and even more. Oh, the beginning has those intense wavering strings that began in Shadow People and of course that leads to the intense bass heavy cinematic drumbeat combo that is present in pretty much every build-up in this album. But after that. Every single moment of this song is absolutely unique.

 

There’s a melody coming from a distant guitar playing off in the middle of all the calm ambience, providing a different strangely soothing flavor foreign to the rest of the album. And the strings do a great job of building up a bit of suspense towards the climax of this song. But unlike the other final drops. This song instead opts to just play a bassline in the background while still focusing on the guitar melodies and strings for the main forefront. It’s actually a beautiful refreshing change of pace with some good drumbeats mixed in there. Making it one of the best songs on the album.

 

Varien – The Sickness (6.5): It’s no surprise that since we’re about two thirds through this album of poison that the sickness is starting to creep in. Poison isn’t the healthiest substance. Oh, and the suspense as this sickness seeps into the body is absolutely overwhelming. Just listen to those quiet voices of longing underlying the bassline and the drums at the beginning there, the moans of those dying from a disease that they’ve inflicted upon themselves. A slightly discomforting bassline rumbles growing ever closer as the drums, as always, build the short song to its climax as the sickness truly begins to take hold. Drums of war. An unbeatable war.

 

The distorted sickness takes a form of a sick bassline that dominates the song by playing long dark notes that display the cinematic dubstep vibe that infects this entire album. The note sometimes holds strong, and yet other times, it begins to waver, showing perhaps a weakness. Perhaps it can be cured. Or perhaps it’s merely strangling the body from the inside out before leaving the song ending the song climatically.

 

Does the end represent death? Perhaps if it were the last song on the album, but there is more to come.

 

Varien – Future Funk (7.75): This is the one of the only songs that could compete Technical Difficulties for the top spot on this album (it loses in the end, but it still stands out among the rest). And so, made up lore is once again not required to make the review of this particular song stand out among the rest. Oh, I could try to make up some story about some sort of funky time travel, but I can’t seem to make the edginess fit with that anyway. But what I can talk about is the variety that this track holds.

 

The first thing I want to highlight is the drum variety this song has over the rest of the songs. Most of the other songs have just the cinematic stabs in the build-ups and a steadier drumbeat, usually at a dubstep tempo, when it comes to the drop. However, this song explores a bit further than that simple pattern. At first, it starts following the two, section trend that the majority of the album uses. Cinematic drums with an unsteady tempo at first, followed by a half-time section at the drop (though interestingly this drumbeat is actually combined with the irregular cinematic drumbeat instead of outright abandoning in it). The second half is where the true variety comes in though. It starts out with the cinematic drums again at first, but then it introduces a new syncopated drumbeat (And if anyone knows me, they know I love syncopation). The syncopation adds a new groove that’s a bit more unique compared to the rest of the album, and it’s allowed to breathe for a second, without the cinematic drums getting in the way (though said drums do come in again a bit later). Long story short, the drumbeat is constantly changing and developing over the course of the entire album.

 

But the despite taking an entire paragraph, the drumbeats aren’t all that’s special about this song. Obviously a song called Future Funk has to have a bit of a groove to it. And that groove is created by the melodies and basslines that are scattered throughout this track. The most noticeable of these is the synth smoothly transforming between several different notes, creating a groove that surprisingly fits quite well with the more cinematic style this album presents. And under that melody, there’s plenty more, an atmospheric vocal sample that serves as the backbone of the track and a wavering simpler synth adding a secondary underlying melody to compliment the first And in the second half, a new bassline is introduced with a low growling arp accentuating that groovy funk to the maximum.

 

I haven’t quite decided whether or not I prefer this over Technical Difficulties, but both are incredibly solid additions to this album that easily stand out above the rest.

 

Varien – Schizophrenia (5.5): The bass heavy stabs at the beginning, overwhelming the forefront of the song during its stay. And yet, everything else sounds distant, a whisper of an arp, a slight build of chaotic strings in the background, and thunderous drums that leave a wavering cry in their dust. Everything in this song is so distant. Except for the bass. The bass. It’s absence in the middle third is welcome, but the song spends much of the time slamming the bassline over the rest of the track, making every other element of this song’s identity seem distant, almost non-existent.

 

What is left of the song when the harsh bass overwhelms every other piece of its identity?

 

What is left of you when harsh thoughts overwhelm every other piece of your identity?

 

Varien – Meteorite (7.75): As the album comes to a close, all that remains is Meteorite: the ultimate mysterious element of the world I’ve attempted to imagine for this album. Perhaps not quite as horrifying as the Shadow People and their Mother Superior. Perhaps not as existentially terrible as Death’s Call that welcomes you to hell. Perhaps not as dangerous as a creature that consumes metal, or a disease that consumes the mind. But Meteorite remains to be the most mysterious of the bunch. Sure, I couldn’t really think of much of an imaginative recreation of Technical Difficulties or Future Funk, but this is different.

 

Looking at the surface, yeah, a meteorite crashed. It happens sometimes. But like I said, there’s an overwhelming aura of mystery. Just listen to that piano melody at the beginning. it starts out soft, distant, combined with what sounds to be a slightly distorted guitar that muffles the simple melody. But as the melody approaches closer and closer to the core of this song, the meteorite that had shattered the surface of this world, the piano becomes stronger, nearly overwhelming the bass as the drums walk closer and closer to the otherworldly wreckage.

 

And then the song explodes into energy, the bassline once again taking the forefront, but unlike in Schizophrenia, the bassline doesn’t completely overtake the song. In fact, the piano is really still thee star of the song, increasing the mystery as it keeps up well with the more intense elements, as we get closer and closer to what appears to be a meteorite. But the guitar and bassline suggest that this isn’t just a hollow husk of extraterrestrial rock. There is something more here. You can hear it, even as the song once again fades into its previous calm demeanor. A subtle bassline stuttering along with the ambience echoing from the drums.

 

And then, for this album’s finale, the final climax of the song depicts an increase in intensity unlike any other on this album. The melody has been cut short, unable to keep up with the ever-accelerating tempo, a combination of the echoing drums from earlier and the rolling bassline that had previously appeared at the midpoint climax. But there’s no more time for the drums to echo. No more time for the bassline to catch a breath as it rises.

 

There’s no more time.

 

Conclusion: Pick Your Poison Vol 1 is a bit on the shorter side of the albums, seeing as ach of the song is no longer than a movie trailer (for good reason). Ten songs, seventeen minutes. If you read this review at a slow enough pace, you could actually finish listening to the album before reaching the end of this review. It’s not cream of the crop for Varien. It’s in fact the first album I’ve reviewed so far where none of the songs have reached an 8 or higher. Now, that doesn’t make it a bad album. None of the songs are bad per se. It’s a shorter experience so it doesn’t need to be exceptionally solid. It’s just a quick exploration into the harsher more cinematic side of Varien. There are a few small duds, but none of them are atrocious enough or long enough to ruin the experience of the album.

 

 

Final Score: (6.75/10)

Daily Hat Track Roundup: May 2019

As we transition into the months of summer and the whether finally starts to get nice where I live, it’s time to look back at all the songs I posted in May. I’ve already posted these all to Twitter, but it may be convenient to view this all in one place. So that’s what I’m doing right here.

 

 

Daily Hat Track: May 1 (Nigel Good & Illuminor – No Way Back Up): Second MC throwback of this Daily Hat Track catchup. I’d forgotten about Nigel until someone on MeWe reminded me. Now, I am basking in this song’s beauty. It’s a bit depressing too, but I like a tiny bit of depression now and then.

 

Daily Hat Track: May 2 (Killgrew – Hyakkimaru): Start out the day with some beautiful Killigrew. The piano in this one is the highlight, especially the chords. Though the Japanese trap vibe is interesting as well.

 

Daily Hat Track: May 3 (Karma Fields & Monarchy – Feint Echoes): Been listening to a lot of Karma Fields today and this one is certainly my favorite. Monarchy’s vocals make for a good tenor that I can stretch to my limits while singing along, and the drop is utter controlled madness. I love it.

 

Daily Hat Track: May 4 (Muzzy – Endgame): Very VERY bad idea to look at any replies to this one. I’m risking enough as it is just posting it, but the apocalyptic Endgame is one of Muzzy’s best so I must share it as Muzzy is another artist I’ve been listening to a lot lately

 

Daily Hat Track: May 5 (Kings of the City – Wrong (Muzzy Remix): Continuing with the Muzzy theme, here’s his best song, though Kings of The City’s lyrical content does influence my opinion. It’s a song about self doubt and existentialism and finding ones way in life. That’s what I like. Also DnB.

 

Daily Hat Track: May 6 (Wintergatan Valentine): Lovely driving bouncy Wintergatan track that I got enjoyed a slight bit excessively while on break at work. Just wish it was a little longer.

 

Daily Hat Track: May 7 (Covenant – I Close My Eyes): I don’t even care what the lyrics are (which is good because I’m currently too tired to decipher them). I just enjoy the relaxing futurepop vibes. Covenant is always do cryptic anyways.

 

Daily Hat Track: May 8 (Karma Fields – Who do You Want to Be (Part II): Who do I want to be? That question arises as I listen to this Skylinesque song from the most recent Karma Fields album. I’m not certain of the answer. It’s not my present self, but I believe I have the power to change that.

 

Daily Hat Track: May 9 (Thermostatic – Northern Ambulance): This very short and mysterious beauty ponders the beauty known as life and how it’s so mysterious and oh so very short.

 

Daily Hat Track: May 10 (Scatman John – Scatman (Game Over Jazz)): Great funky groove with scatsinging as always but this time there’s a saxophone. I love the saxophone.

 

Daily Hat Track: May 11 (Scatman John – Let it Go): Definitely my favorite from Scatman John. The second verse is especially a game changer in the search for self acceptance.

 

Daily Hat Track: May 12 (Vicetone – Home (Eminence remix)): Honestly not a huge fan of any of the involved artiste but this remix works quite well. Of course, self-reflective lyrics do help…

 

Daily Hat Track: May 13 (Veorra – Not Yet): Sometimes, you have to concentrate on the little things of today in order not to be overwhelmed by the mountainous plan that is the future.

 

Daily Hat Track: May 14 (DESERT STAR – Foreign Land): The latest volume of Monstercat Instinct was released today so I’ve been focusing my musical appetite on that mostly. Plenty of highlights. This one for example explores some of my favorite themes of the journey to find one’s self.

 

Daily Hat Track: May 15 (Hybrid – Falling Down): Was listening to some of Hybrid’s older stuff today and I found myself rediscovering this groovy tune (which of course has lyrics depicting the ceaseless chaos we get caught up in because I have some lyrical obsessions apparently).

 

Daily Hat Track: May 16 (Aviators & Lectro Dub – We are not Machines): Aviators and Lectro Dub go together like… I actually don’t feel like coming up with a comparison but they’re good I promise you. This is among the best of the collabs. Significant lyrical quality though Paralyzed is catchier.

 

Daily Hat Track: May 17 (Icon of Coil – Shelter): This song really takes me back to early 2016 when I had absolutely no clue where I belonged. I still don’t but things are better now I think.

 

Daily Hat Track: May 18 (Varien & Veela – Supercell): Varien recently has announced a new album sometime this year. I wonder if it’s possible for my favorite Varien song to be usurped.

 

Daily Hat Track: May 19 (Varien & Laura Brehm – Valkyrie): Long as I’m in a Varien mood, here’s another one of my favorites from way back. The beginning of a gorgeous trilogy.

 

Daily Hat Track: May 20 (Stonebank & Concept – Holding on to Sound): This song… I made a video focused on this song quite a while back. I’m not going to link it though. You have to find that for yourself.

 

Daily Hat Track: May 21 (Scattle – Pacemaker): The discovery I’ve been rocking to today would be Scattle’s Pacemaker. Good groove and plenty of hype within the track. You’ll need to get a pacemaker by the time this is over.

 

Daily Hat Track: May 22 (Celldweller – Switchback (Neuroticfish remix): I’ll be doing a full length review involving the original version of this song shortly, but for now, enjoy the absolute best transformative remix of this classic Celldweller tune.

 

Daily Hat Track: May 23 (Sakuzyo – AngelFalse): I’d discovered Sakuzyo yesterday, but that was after I’d posted that day’s hat track. So now I’m posting one of the songs I’d listened to yesterday today. Shoot, don’t have much room left to talk about the song. Um. Piano is good.

 

Daily Hat Track: May 24 (LukHash – Requiem for a Friend):  I know I’m a bit behind I’ll catch up over time but for now, here’s a cool cross between cinematic, chiptune and synthwave

 

Daily Hat Track: May 25 (Crazy Astronaut – Funky Shit 2014): This song with a slightly obscenely languaged title is just a plethora of nonstop energy. Just sitting here and listening to this song exhausts me in the best way. Then again I can’t exactly call it sitting here because I am boppin

 

Daily Hat Track: May 26 (Cello Fury – Tundra): Three cellists, one drummer. That’s all they needed to make this lovely track complete with a switch up near the middle that provides the song with a new energy right when it’s needed most.

 

Daily Hat Track: May 27 (Mr Fijiwiji & Openwater – Growing Up): One last beauty before sleep. Mr Fijiwiji paints some gorgeous melodies with that piano and I remember Openwater’s cries to escape loneliness resonating with 19 year old me. They still do.

 

Daily Hat Track: May 28 (Wintergatan – Marble Machine): Normally, I post a Spotify link as that’s the music listening platform I spend most of my time on, but this song resurfaced in my queue recently and it’s wrong not to post the music video for this masterpiece.

 

Daily Hat Track: May 29 (Stoneocean – Can’t Stand that Girl): I must share with you this catchy melody that I’ve had stuck in my head for the past 2 days. It’s good while listening to the song but it will not leave my head once it’s over. If I must suffer with this burden, then so should you.

 

Daily Hat Track: May 30 (Celldweller – Own Little World (Growling Machines remix): Going to be finishing up that Celldweller review I mentioned last week soon. So you can definitely expect that this Sunday. In the meantime, here’s an amazing psytrance remix of one of the best songs in the upcoming review.

 

Daily Hat Track: May 31 (Robert Delong & K.Flay – Favorite Color is Blue): I not only find this song ridiculously catchy, but I also find it to be a great vent for when regretful anger leads to depression. At least that’s the existential emotion I’m getting from this song. You know I read way too deep

 

Oh, and as always, you can check out all of the Daily Hat Tracks I’ve posted this year in the playlist below

 

https://open.spotify.com/user/beretbeats/playlist/4CIZYAQAzctqYqFG89HIv2?si=Mnl8CDT3TN2jxaJDZLCG7A

 

Aviators – Aeterno (2013 album)

Album links

Bandcamp: https://soundoftheaviators.bandcamp.com/album/aeterno

Soundcloud: n/a

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/0tVYhReBmzpA81JproDO3W?si=uOELovmKRD2KTz-Sj93NLA

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuJ82PHklZE7xwcGeobnlHLLgnzAjyBbu

 

 

Introduction: Aviators is a bit of an interesting artist to review. The fact of the matter is that he’s developed his sound in such a way that what he produces now has absolutely nothing in common with where he started. Well, technically, this album isn’t his true beginning, but I’ve opted to skip the first bit of his discography for now as Aviators would probably disown them. I may look at those eventually, but I think time would be spent better going over the albums that actually matter at first.

 

Still, Aeterno is a bit of an odd place to begin the Aviators journey, as it’s an entirely unique concept album that shares little to no similarities with the other albums he’s released prior or since. The album is based on a vague story of sorts, much vaguer than Mind.in.a.box of course (the inevitable comparison I shall always make when introducing a narrative), but still involves some extremely subtle worldbuilding centering upon a post apocalyptic world. Unfortunately, there’s not too much to go off of thanks to 14 out of the 15 songs being instrumental.  But I’m the master of digging deep even when there’s nowhere to dig so let’s get into that deep digging why don’t we?

 

Aviators – Aeterno (7.5): A time long forgotten or perhaps a time that is yet to come…

 

Any time is reachable now that we’ve arrived here…

 

And so, we begin…

 

The album starts out with its titular track, a calming mysterious piece that sets the tone for the rest of the album (as an intro song should). This song is a simple combination of a few bone chilling instruments including some deep contrabass strings, a distant choir and the melodic star of the show, bells. There’s only a handful of melodies in here, none of them reaching more than a handful of notes. But the simplicity does work. It draws more attention to the feelings the instruments create rather than the melody itself. Done well, it can be quite immersive, and this is definitely done well.

 

These bells, choir and strings work together to bring an image to life in my mind. Albeit, this image isn’t the liveliest. Perhaps, it’s the album art’s fault as it depicts a decrepit city that looks to have a higher population of overgrown plants rather than human beings. Then again, seeing as the album art is a deliberate choice, that was probably the intention. The very description of this album is post- apocalyptic. Perhaps time travel too? I believe there was a more in-depth description on this album’s story once, but the description has disappeared somehow, lost in time…

 

It makes sense that time travel would be involved as when I tried to find the definition of Aeterno, I found the phrase “ab aeterno” instead, meaning “from an infinitely remote point of time in the past.” And if you’re in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Going to an infinitely remote point of time in the past sounds like a good way to escape the horrors of the present…

 

Aviators – Escaping Darkness (7.25): As the world falls apart, darkness will surround and suffocate you…

 

Unless you escape…

 

Escaping Darkness begins with a very mysterious calm similar to Aeterno. However, this time the mysterious darkness chooses not to hide behind the beauty of bells. No, the ambience from the beginning, complete with broken glass, makes it clear that the darkness is settling in. And as the blasting horns overpower the song for that first minutes, they send a message that the darkness is here to stay.

 

The rest of the song tries to escape it anyway.

 

While the song doesn’t really have a regular tempo, it still has a great drive to it, a great sense of trying to run and escape the darkness that seeps across the land (or perhaps within the soul). There are drums in there, but they seem to be a of the more cinematic variety rather than the typical drive. Instead of displaying the BPM of running down dark alleys of a forgotten city, this drumbeat attempts to capture the emotional stress of it all. And matched with the first electronic melody of the album (with some underlying bells), the attempt is successful.

 

While there may be a short break from the darkness midway through, the chase can’t last forever. It seems that, for now, the darkness has won. There is no escape…

 

Aviators – Broken Planet (7): The planet is broken…

 

Can it be fixed?

 

Broken Planet is one of the shorter songs on the album, not even hitting the three-minute mark. Still, it uses its time well. This song is about on par with Escaping Darkness, better in some ways, but in the end, it’s just not quite as good. In the beginning, it hits a lot of the same emotions, but it does so in an ever better spine-chilling fashion. During the first and last minute of the song, there’s no audible instruments other than a very simple piano melody. However, the sound design of this piano is distorted ever so slightly that it allows for some really unsettling ambiance. In this album, Aviators seems obsessed with taking simple melodies and using them to the best of their ability. This part of the song allows for some quiet reflection, ears filled with something familiar, yet distorted to a point that’s almost unsettling.

 

The middle of the song takes a different approach to display this broken world. It’s a lot less subtle. The cinematic drumbeats here are quite similar to those used in Escaping Darkness, but there’s very little else to distract from the drums this time around. This results in a bit of a mixed bag. Out of context, the drum just doesn’t really hold the song on its own, making it one of the less interesting parts on the album. But it does provide a good rush to the middle of the song, giving it a slight bit of edge of your seat variety. I just can’t help but wonder if this track would have been better if it had fully committed to the creepy piano the whole way through. Still a good one, but I can’t help but feel it has missing potential.

 

Aviators – Labyrinthine (5.75): When all is lost…

 

It can be hard to find one’s way…

 

Labyrinthine differs heavily from what we’ve been presented with so far. The past three songs used a small number of simple instruments to provide a cinematic feeling that feels as if it belongs in a movie. Labyrinthine is DnB. Which is completely different from most of the songs on the album. But I’m perfectly ok with that. DnB used to be my favorite subgenre of EDM and it still remains to be up there, though perhaps various forms of trance have overtaken it since then. Plus, if you count futurepop, there’s that too. So yeah, DnB isn’t going to be my focus on this site too much. Still, I’m a huge fan of syncopation (staple characteristic of DnB) and high tempo energy (other staple characteristic of DnB) so most DnB tracks are an instant win for me.

 

This song seems to try and walk the thin line between an extreme high energy DnB song and the bell melodies played throughout the album so far. During the calmer sections and the build-ups, I feel this works alright, giving a nice balance of energies. But it doesn’t tickle my imagination like the rest of the songs so far and the drops aren’t exactly the most inspired. While I do automatically like DnB because of its tempo and syncopation, this song feels pretty below average for the genre. Making it only a bit above average as a song.

 

Having this be the first DnB song I review (again, surprising it’s taken this long), isn’t exactly the most glaring recommendation of the genre. It’s good but pales in comparison to some of the DnB masterpieces. It also pales in comparison to the next DnB song I plan on reviewing… later in this album. There’s another one but we’ll talk about that in a bit.

 

 

Aviators – Haunted (6.5): As the darkness creeps in…

 

As the broken past is revealed…

 

It haunts us…

 

Haunted is a return to the general calmer more introspective side of the album, which is incredibly refreshing after subpar DnB. And the strings and the arp at the beginning really sell the song quite well from the beginning. They develop quite nicely with the arp and a simple integrated melody taking the forefront for much of the song. Though there are a couple of moments where some other neat elements are introduced, such as the subtle whisper of vocals in the clam in the middle, which serves as my favorite part of the song, really bringing the entire song together for a driving haunted feel (fitting considering the title) And… uh… there’s the other melodic instrument.

 

Yeah, I sure hope you like that synth, because Aviators uses it a lot in his early works. Sometimes it works well, giving a song a bit of flavor. But the flavor doesn’t quite work or fit in here unfortunately and so I find myself ever so slightly irked by its existence. It’s not bad and it thankfully has a decent amount of variation to it so it’s in no way repetitive, but I just can’t help but feel the song would have been a bit stronger without it. Maybe shave off a couple minutes too so that missing variation doesn’t make the song tedious. Am I being nitpicky? Yeah. Probably. It is a decent song, but it could be a lot better.

 

Aviators – Find Me (7.5): A distance voice calls out…

 

Find her…

 

This calmer track is completely piano focused, taking the simplicity of early Aviators to an entire new level. There are some subtleties in there such as a bells and drums that almost blends in perfectly with the piano melody and a stringed section that adds another layer of beauty to the song. But nothing gets as much focus as the piano.

 

And seeing as the piano is a wonderfully beautiful instrument, the song is gorgeous. You’ve got some arpeggiated notes on the lower end of the piano that play throughout the song, serving as the gentle backbone of the track and those are paired with the melodies on the higher end of the piano. Not to mention the section in the middle and end of the track that focuses on bouncing back and forth between strikingly powerful chords and the calmer piano melodies as a contrast. All of the other instruments do get stronger as the song progresses, but they only serve to heighten the emotion of the piano, not overpower it. Such a simple track but also one of the best.

 

Aviators – Kill Switch (7.75): Reset what once was…

 

Kill the past…

 

Kill the future…

 

And begin anew…

 

Alright, back to the slightly harsher stuff. Not that much of this album has been very harsh at all for the most part. I guess perhaps Labyrinthine has some slightly harsher parts and the next track is quite intense as well, but that just makes this song stand out all the more as one of the most energetic songs on the album. It hits a great sweet spot in energy that differs greatly from previous calmer songs like Aeterno and Haunted, but it doesn’t quite reach the same levels of intensity as the DnB tracks of the album, Labyrinthine and Iron Horizon (I’ll get to that one shortly, give me a second). This fantastic balance makes it one of the best songs on the album.

 

So what does Kill Switch have to offer? Well, first off it has a solid drive, which is more than I can say for many of the other songs on the album. Not saying that (most of) those songs are bad because of their lack of solid drive. Some of the ones without that drive turn out to be the most beautiful (See Aeterno and Find Me). This one does have a nice outro that’s a bit more relaxing, but that’s not its strong point.

 

Its strong point is pushing forward with a handful of electronic synths. (wacky basslines, some stabbing melodies, you get the gist). There’s also some bells because it wouldn’t be a song on Aeterno if it didn’t have bells. These bells do a much better job at integrating themselves into a more intense song that Labyrinthine did, but I think the most interesting part of this song has to be the electric guitar, or at least the synth that simulates the electric guitar. I guess I’m just a sucker for a good guitar melody… or a good guitar riff… or a good guitar solo… You know what, I just like good guitar and good guitar is something that this song has.

 

Aviators – Iron Horizon (8): The City looms over the horizon…

 

Save it before it breaks…

 

Kill Switch was definitely intense compared to most of this album. Most. Because there is one song that takes the mantle of the most intense energetic song of them all. And that song is Iron Horizon, the second DnB song of the album and the first song off of Aeterno that I heard. And while I didn’t really appreciate Labyrinthine, I do find Iron Horizon to be a much better introduction to my love for DnB. Sure, it’s not the first DnB song I’m reviewing, but it is the first DnB song I love.

 

Already talked about the high tempo and syncopation back in Labyrinthine. Those go without saying so I’m going to try and focus on the more unique elements of the song. After a few seconds of deceptively calming bell melodies that high tempo syncopation I keep talking about comes in and sets the song into full force (Ok, I guess I am talking about the high tempo syncopation. So sue me). Or at least that would be full force, but the song is once again deceptive as the build-up approaches with rapid drumbeats, some subtle guitar work in the background and the heaviest bass this album has to offer.

After that there’s the drop. And I have both everything and nothing to say about this drop. The basslines here are exceptionally impressive and intense compared to what was seen in labyrinthine. The melodies are exceptionally and enjoyably energetic which matches the upbeat vibe a lot better than most of the bell melodies in Labyrinthine. And the second half of the drop? The part where it’s constantly bouncing back and forth between half of that energetic melody and a showcase of some great bassy DnB patterns? Absolutely fantastic.

 

Honestly, I’m pretty sure the main difference between this and Labyrinthine is that Labyrinthine just didn’t fully commit to the DnB madness. It was still trying to hold on to tightly to the calmer vibes that appear throughout a huge portion of this album. Iron Horizon still has bells and all, but there is nothing calm and relaxing about it. Perhaps the beginning and end are a bit calmer, but that’s a total of about 20 seconds of calmness compared to over 3 and a half minutes of high energy DnB. It’s just some bookends that serve as a reminder that this is still Aeterno.

 

Aviators – I’ll Find You (5): She holds the key…

 

The key to change the past…

 

The key to change the future…

 

Find her…

 

I have to presume, based on title, that this is a sequel to Find Me. An answer to the call of the search. It would have been rather neat to see if the two songs shared any similarities, but unfortunately, it sounds to be nothing more than the next chapter in this incredibly vague story about time travel. There used to be more information out there on the story behind the EP, but I can’t seem to find it currently, or maybe it just never existed, and my brother and I are both remembering something that doesn’t exist. Doesn’t seem likely but my imagination continues telling me it’s a possibility so I’m going to keep that in mind.

 

Narrative aside, this song feels incredibly relaxing compared to the Iron Horizon that preceded it. Slower melodies, no prominent bassline, a long progression that takes its time going anywhere. Unfortunately, the problem with that last one is that the song doesn’t go anywhere. Sure there’s a few new elements introduced here and there, but many of them are too subtle to take note of and any significant addition is too far apart from the rest. It’s a bit faster in the beginning as it introduces the one of main melodies and a drumbeat (which still takes 2 minutes to come in, excessively long for a song of this stature), but after that, it just feels like the song takes forever to move from one point to the next. There are some other important melodies that come in here and there (the main theme of the song at 3:30 and a reiteration of the first melody with an all too obvious synthesizer that tries to sound like a guitar pluck but just fails at it spectacularly), but it seems Aviators is determined to prevent any significant changes from occurring within one minute of each other. It certainly does not meet the standards of variety for such a long 8-minute track

 

And as if the song wasn’t long enough, there’s a Part 2

 

Aviators & Vortex – I’ll Find You Part 2 (7):

 

 

 

Find her…

 

I am actually quite glad that this track got divided up into 2 parts. Because Part 2 takes all the melodies that made the first part good and plays a few different spins on them with different instrumentation and tone. Plus, there’s a few entirely new melodies inserted in there as well. It may be two minutes shorter, but there’s plenty more variety to be offer. There are some obvious directions this song decides to go. Plenty of reiterations of the past song’s melodies of course. And also, Aviators has to use that iconic synth from his early works in here (plenty of melodic variety whenever they’re playing. There’s also an interesting bassline in the middle that interrupts the song in the middle with a harsher vibe similar to some moments in Kill Switch.

 

I’m not entirely familiar with Vortex and his work so I’m sure some part of this final product can be accredited to him. I’m going to guess that bassier portion has his name on it, but I’m not certain. Like I said, I’m not familiar with his work.

 

Honestly if you cut the first part down to three minutes and made a good transition into this second part, I think I would have liked the combination of these two songs all the better because of it. But as is, Part 2 definitely serves to be the better of the two.

 

 

Aviators – Cloud Ocean (5): Dive into the depths below…

 

Rise into the sky above…

 

Either direction leads to the unknown…

 

But must you only choose one?

 

Cloud Ocean is the happiest song this album has to offer. That also makes it perhaps the most boring along with I’ll Find You and one other track which I haven’t gotten to quite yet. Maybe, it’s just because I’m a sucker for the edgier stuff. Takes a bit more interesting elements to make a happier song like this one… well… interesting. And for the most part, I’m afraid this one fails to do so. Much of the song concentrates on the least adventurous strings possible and a tropical melody that falls flat. There are some guitar sections that make up a bit for the blandness, but those are still subtle, and they certainly don’t save the song from its curse of averageness.

 

Aviators – His Arrival (7.25): He has found you…

 

The one responsible for it all…

 

Change him…

 

Change the world…

 

Perhaps one of the simplest songs on the album but also perhaps one of the most chilling as well. But that’s simply what a music box does. There’s something unsettling about placing such a simple pretty melody within the dark ambiance that this track contains. The two overlapping melodies that come from this music box overlap each other quite beautifully. This song isn’t just a music box though. I didn’t notice it at first, but in the second half of the track there’s some great ambience added in. It’s very subtle at first, but it does become a bit more prominent over time, especially at the 1.5-minute mark when the strings take over. It also sounds like there’s a didgeridoo in there which really gives a unique vibe to the song. Overall, I feel this song works great as the creepiest song of the album despite its simplicity. Maybe because of its simplicity.

 

Aviators – The Ticketmaster’s Waltz (4.25):

 

I’m not going to even bother trying to connect this one to the story. I mean, I’ve been trying to do my best to give a slight taste of what the concept of the album is about, even if it’s a bit of a stretch sometimes (see the last song), but hey, the concept is slightly vague so I’ll be slightly vague too. Except here. I have no idea how the Ticketmaster and his Waltz fit into all of this and I’m not sure if even my stretchy imagination can figure out a connection. It just feels out of place.

 

And I’m not really interested in the music either. Like His Arrival, this one devotes itself to an instrumental theme. But His Arrival had the advantage of using a creepy music box, an aesthetic I highly enjoy. This song is a creepy carnival, an aesthetic that I don’t really care about. Besides, the ghostly voices are much less creepy than the music box, so this song just comparatively falls flat. This album would have been a bit better off if this song was skipped over.

 

That’s all I have to say. Really. There’s nothing else.

 

Aviators – The Path Home (7.75): Change is inevitable…

 

Embrace it…

 

Move forward…

 

Find peace…

 

Find home…

 

This song definitely stands out as the only lyrical song of the album. And because of that, the song feels the most dated of the bunch of the album. Aviators’ voice has developed and improved over time, which is good because in a modern album the song without vocals would be the outlier (plus I like some of his modern vocal tracks. A good amount of them have great lyrics, not all of them but a good lot of them).

 

But that’s the future in comparison to this album. A time that had been yet to come in perspective of the past. But hey, the connection to past and future is what this album is all about anyway. That’s obviously not Aviators’ intention for including a vocal track this time around, but I’m mentioning it anyway.

 

The music here is a bit simple compared to most of the album, though not quite as simple as the last two. It’s fine because this is a lyrical track and the vocals carry the slack from the instrumental. Thank goodness, because the instrumental simply wouldn’t hold this song on its own. The minimalism worked fantastically for His Arrival, but this song is an entirely different animal. Where, His Arrival was instrumentally minimal, The Path Home is melodically minimal. Sure, there are a couple simple melodies at the beginning, end, and any other point where Aviators is silent. But they don’t provide much power compared to the chords throughout the rest of the song (heard almost exclusively during the vocal portions, especially the chorus). There are a few other melodies here and there using Aviators’ favorite synth or a slightly textural bass, but nothing too remarkable. It’s an adequate song, but nothing spectacular.

 

Thankfully, there’s lyrics. Don’t really think there’s too much here for me to analyze, but there is still a good message here about moving forward through the chaos. The first verse explores the paralysis one feels when viewing the chaos in this world. The easy path of numbly walking with the path of least resistance. But by the end of the second verse, it’s clear that the path of least resistance doesn’t necessarily end in peace. Sometimes you have to rise up and change your path, taking a risk to venture onto the rugged path.

 

The path home.

 

Aviators – Absolution (7.75): Everything must come to an end…

 

This is ours…

 

The final song of Aviators’ album is the most orchestral of the bunch, a fitting conclusion. What makes this song so great is the use of so many instruments that have been used throughout this album. The strings immediately give the signal that something grand is coming, be it grand in a victorious way or grand in a horrifying way is unclear. The song does seem to continue shifting back and forth between those moods as the strings dip down at certain points while also climbing to new heights at other points.

 

The drums, important to most songs (though His Arrival did quite well without them), aren’t necessarily unique, but they do have that irregular tempo that appeared in many of the earlier songs of the album so they’re worth mentioning.

 

The bells, Aviators favorite instrument for this album (not of this time period. The Aviators synth is strangely absent here, but that’s ok, I’m not sure it would fit) also make an appearance. They chime along with the song’s suspenseful tempo, painting a picture of the world changing as intended.

 

There’s also some piano, which was mostly prominent in Find Me. The piano once again provides a variety of melodies while it is present in the song, adding a healthy amount of variation in its stay, interesting seeing as the introduction of the piano was a service to variation already. It definitely steals the show in its beautiful sections (in an already beautiful song, so you know it’s exceptional).

 

Equally as beautiful is the choir that first made an appearance in the titular song at the beginning of the album. Here, the voices are stronger than ever, providing an extra layer of beauty to the track.

 

Altogether, Absolution wraps up this collection of songs quite wonderfully. And yet… I can’t help but feel there’s something more. This song builds towards an event undiscovered. The story continues on beyond what we see here. What happens next is unknown. The future is unknown. The story never ends. Just the chapters we can see.

 

For now, Absolution is the culmination of everything we’ve heard so far. Absolution is the end.

 

For now…

 

Conclusion: Overall, Aeterno is an interesting concept album with a great variety of songs ranging from simplistic music boxes to suspenseful cinematic pieces to some great intense DnB. Not every son is a winner, but many of them are at least well above average, meaning that my rating is well above average.

 

One thing that I want to mention is the possible future this album might hold. I know that I’m basically becoming a third hand source, but my brother told me that Aviators mentioned on a livestream that he’d like to remake this album. So whether or not I’m displaying reliable intel is possibly questionable but I’ve got some solid confidence in my brother so I’m going to believe it’s true. The question is when.

 

Final Score: (6.75/10)

 

Daily Hat Track Roundup: March 2019

April has started so let’s reflect over the Daily Hat Tracks of March.

 

Daily Hat Track: March 1 (Ginger Runner – Deception of Light and Shadow): When I saw that there was a new Ginger Runner track I was prepared for some good chill jams but the DnB drop took my by surprise. Loving this.

 

Daily Hat Track: March 2 (Au5 & Danyka Nadeau – Eden): Best Au5 since Snowblind (so second best Au5)

 

Daily Hat Track: March 3 (Way Out West & Hendrik Burkhard – We Move in The Dark): Funky tune from Way out West. There may be some odd existential pondering in there but a lot of it is cryptic so it’s hard to say. The groove is clear though and for now that’s all that matters.

 

Daily Hat Track: March 4 (I am Waiting for You Last Summer – Lights Go Out): Perhaps I’m remembering incorrectly but I’m pretty sure I am Waiting for you Last Summer usually gives off rather chill vibes. Ah well, this DnB rock fusion works too.

 

Daily Hat Track: March 5 (Mr Fijiwiji, Laura Brehm & Agno3 – Pure Sunlight): Throwback to perhaps the best collaboration in Monstercat history. Definitely the golden age of the label in my opinion.

 

Daily Hat Track: March 6 (Azedia – Requiem for a New World): This incredible journey through sound gives a unique contemplation of existence over ten minutes. A religion could be based on this song. Actually this song is most likely based on a religion so never mind that. Still great.

 

Daily Hat Track: March 7 (Rotersand – Not Alone): Daily Hat Track: March 7 Capitalism Tm is my favorite Rotersand album but that’s mostly because of Hey You and Not Alone. Both have fantastic development with great inspiring vocals. This one is my preferred of the two at the moment.

 

Daily Hat Track: March 8 (Ghost Rider – Make Us Stronger): I can’t be the only one who hears Carol of the Bells at the beginning of this one. Anyways, this is your usual decent psytrance song with clips of an inspiring speech pondering life. The second half is pretty cool musically.

 

Daily Hat Track: March 9 (Worakls – Entrudo): The fact that there’s an entire Worakls album now is incredible to me as he’s only released singles previously. Haven’t listened to the album in full yet but hey you should definitely check it out.

 

Daily Hat Track: March 10 (Invocation Array – Hypogeum (Live in Studio): Invocation Array is an interesting duo of two women creating a great crossover between rock and EDM (my favorite kind of crossover) and some great vocals. Final chorus in this song is my favorite part of their discography.

 

Daily Hat Track: March 11 (Covenant – Call the Ships to Port): This another one of those songs where I visualize a music video, this one being about the destruction of a supernatural oceanic prison via a ritualistic funeral for those who are thought to be dead long ago but are only dying now.

 

Daily Hat Track: March 12 (Mind.in.a.box – Timelessness): This song from the fifth chapter of the Mindinabox story (which is a long ways off) is among the catchiest of the discography. The chorus gets into my head the easiest of many songs. Not the best but great vocals and good groove.

 

Daily Hat Track: March 13 (Joachim Pastor – Eternity): I’ve posted some Worakls before, but this is my second favorite artist from the Hungry Music crew (A trio of the best prog house artists). The marimba in this one is the highlight of this particular track.

 

Daily Hat Track: March 14 (N’to – Trauma (Worakls remix)): I’ve definitely had an appetite for Hungry Music as of late. Here, Worakls transforms one of the lesser Hungry songs (though no bad Hungry songs actually exists) into something incredibly new and infinitely better.

 

Daily Hat Track: March 15 (Worakls – Nocturne): Hungry music never ends! But how does it begin? This Worakls track was my very first Hungry song and the orchestral progression here remains my favorite.

 

Daily Hat Track: March 16 (3force – Resistance): This kicking synthwave journey was what started off my morning today. It’s now 13 hours later but I still love every moment of this. Feels much longer than six minutes, given it’s variety.

 

Daily Hat Track: March 17 (Inofaith – Nocturne): Inofaith’s discography is small, but all of it is incredible immersive and relaxing. This song in particular is my favorite as it really speaks to me as a creative.

 

Daily Hat Track: March 18 (Ben Prunty – Night Zen): Last song to speak of this evening is a song of night zen. Well that’s the title. The song itself isn’t as relaxing as Nocturne though. Much more suspense to this one. Really was my favorite discovery today.

 

Daily Hat Track: March 19 (Feint, Boyinaband & Veela – Time Bomb): Throwing back to early Monstercat days with a DnB song about time travel (my favorite storytelling concept). Also has some great vocals from Veela (Who is among my favorite female vocalists). Feint’s best work in my opinion.

 

Daily Hat Track: March 20 (Miracle of Sound & Sarah Murray – Force of Nature): I’m not a huge fan of Miracle of Sound but the first track I heard from him caught my attention with its majestic orchestras and Sarah’s gorgeous vocals. Sadly, Sarah isn’t a regular, so the other songs are a bit underwhelming.

 

Daily Hat Track: March 21 (Kebu – To Jupiter and Back): To Jupiter and Back huh? Sounds like white a journey. This one has a nice balance between beauty and playfulness.

 

Daily Hat Track: March 22 (Niteppl – Meat Grinder): This song’s got a weird creepy vibe to it. But mostly because of the implications of what exactly goes into that neat grinder…

 

Daily Hat Track: March 23 (VNV Nation – When is the Future): I’m currently reviewing the oldest VNV Nation album so here’s a song from the newest VNV Nation album dissecting the passage of time and questioning it’s flow. Where is the past? What is the present? When is the future?

 

Daily Hat Track: March 24 (Infected Mushroom – Slowly): Slowly is just Franks (the previous song on the album), but played in a slower manner. And I can’t help but enjoy that.

 

Daily Hat Track: March 25 (Ed Harrison – Scrap I/O): Running a little late on Daily Hat Tracks so here’s a song that switches between a beautiful piano and strings combination and some upbeat breaks that also includes some slightly glitched vocals.

 

Daily Hat Track: March 26 (PYLOT – Enigma): I really need to get back into PYLOT’s discography. The narrative seems to be improving and developing quite nicely. It isn’t Mindinabox levels yet, but we’re getting there.

 

Daily Hat Track: March 27 (Botnit – Ex Cathedra): Honestly, I find this song a bit amusing with its overhyped 80s praise. I’m sure the 80s were great or something. I wouldn’t know. I was born in 96. “SORRY BETAMAX” gets me every time.

 

Daily Hat Track: March 28 (Covenant – Happy Man): For a song called Happy man, the lead singer of Covenant sure sounds sad… I seem to relate to this song though… What does that say about my mental state?

 

Daily Hat Track: March 29 (Timmy Trumpet – Oracle): So this appeared in a trance playlist on Spotify today. I sincerely did not know Mr Timmy Trumpet did a psytrance song. Short, but it’s interesting enough.

 

Daily Hat Track: March 30 (Andy Hunter & D’Morgan – Technicolour): Best vocal performance of all Andy Hunter songs. That is all.

 

 

Here’s the full playlist of Daily Hat Tracks so far.

Daily Hat Track Roundup: February 2019

It was here that Tuesday Newsday ended, but we don’t talk about that. This is just the February Daily Hat Track roundup post. Nothing more.

 

Daily Hat Track: February 1 (King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard – Cyboogie): Cyboogie walks a surprisingly thin line between a fun groovy vibe an oddly ominous vibe slinking along I’m the background.

 

Daily Hat Track: February 2 (Kick Bong – This Charming Violin (TPOT remix): End of a long unfortunately unproductive day. So today I’ll just mention the song having a food vibe and some beautiful violins and female vocals. It truly is quite a lovely track.

 

Daily Hat Track: February 3 (Ashbury Heights – Spiders): Remember the all too edgy Ashbury Heights album from a couple weeks ago? Here’s a song that’s a step in the right direction of edge. Actually the track that introduced me to the duo (with revolving door of female vocalists).

 

Daily Hat Track: February 4 (Myndflame – Club Thrall): I didn’t get far into my Discovery Weekly due to download troubles but this song in particular had a good drive and variety to it. That’s about all I have to say about it at the moment though.

 

Daily Hat Track: February 5 (Electric Universe, Hilmar & Chico – Rockers and Rollers): The moment I see an Electric Universe song I think psytrance. The moment I see the song title referencing rock n roll I think kick-ass guitar sections. This song delivers on both counts and I love it.

 

Daily Hat Track; February 6 (Bliss & Alex Berserker – Warriors Guitar Mix): A couple days ago I shared a psytrance song with some rocking guitars. Well, today I’m sharing THE psytrance song with rocking guitars. This eleven minute experience is well with your time.

 

Daily Hat Track: February 7 (Infected Mushroom i-wish (Acoustic Live Remix)): Each time, I listen to this acoustic version of I Wish, I like it more and more. It used to be my least favorite from IM21 pt 1, but now it’s second favorite right behind Bliss’ remix of Bust a Move (which is unbeatable).

 

Daily Hat Track: February 8 (Mind.in.a.box – Amnesia): Today I’m just going to throw back the song that introduced me to my current favorite artist. Really pulled me into the computerized vocals and the existential themes. Probably one of my best musical discoveries of all time.

 

Daily Hat Track: February 9 (Infected Mushroom – Dancing with Kadafi): I’ve shared a lot of long songs as of late, but I consider this one to be the epitome of journeys through sound. It’s an absolute classic.

 

Daily Hat Track: February 10 (The Anix – TECHUNTER): Only just finished up Friday’s Release Radar and this nearly cinematic technological wonder was one of the last ones in the playlist. It’s also the best one in the playlist.

 

Daily Hat Track February 11 (Eisfabrik – Walking Towards the Sun): Actually got all the way through my Discovery Weekly in one day (which is rare). And this was bothering the grooviest and most inspiring of the bunch. It’s not often that you find such good futurepop with an uplifting vibe.

 

Daily Hat Track: February 12 (Mind.in.a.box – Redefined): I have no words right now or too many words. Either way, I’d forgotten how great this song is (definitely one of my all time favorites). Music and lyrics are dense with power and meaning and you should listen to it right now

 

Daily Hat Track: February 13 (Infected Mushroom – Frog Machine): Does this track make anyone else envision a giant monstrous frog throwing it’s little normal frog coworkers into a fiery furnace before usurping it’s boss that happens to be a corpse of bones lying in the corner? Just me? Ok.

 

Daily Hat Track : February 14 (Infected Mushroom – In Front of Me): Not much to say about this one. It’s just resonating a bit too much with me right now. Every line is filled with relatable existential anguish.

 

Daily Hat Track: February 15 (Worakls – Cloches): Worakls and his Hungry Music fellows are always a treat to listen to. Therefore this is one of my favorites of this week’s Release Radar.

 

Daily Hat Track: February 16 (Infected Mushroom – Return to the Suace): Here’s another song that makes me visualize a music video except this one makes less sense because it’s a sea voyage adventure involving a sea serpent and a time distortion device. My imagination is vividly random.

 

Daily Hat Track: February 17 (Infected Mushroom – Demons of Pain): I usually tend to listen to the remix from the Return to the Sauce album, but my love doe the existential original still holds today. I may have been listening to too much Infected Mushroom lately though.

 

Daily Hat Track: February 18 (Kick Bong (Progress in Happiness Remix)): Here’s a funky groove of happiness from Kick Bong for yesterday’s Daily Hat Track. Sleep schedule adjustment is making me forgetful.

 

Daily Hat Track: February 19 (Scatman John – U-turn): Didn’t really listen to Scatman when he was alive, but I have been enjoying his music for quite a few years nonetheless. This one about healing one’s soul with a new beginning is the most applicable to my life at the moment.

 

Daily Hat Track: February 20 (OVERWERK – Reign): I’ll admit I’m really only into this one for the bassline. It has a good groove overall, but the bassline is what makes it.

 

Daily Hat Track: February 21 (Infected Mushroom – Saeed): I already knew this was my favorite Infected Mushroom song, but after relistening to it today. It’s even better than I remember. Every moment in this track, be it lyrical or musical, is incredibly powerful.

 

Daily Hat Track: February 22 (Electric Universe – Dragonfly): Psytrance songs named after winged insects are good ok? What else is there to say?

 

Daily Hat Track: February 23 (Andy Hunter – Go): Andy Hunter was my first electronic artist. Go was his first song. If you’re guessing I have some nostalgia attached to this song, you couldn’t be more right.

 

Daily Hat Track: February 24 (Liquid Soul – Hypnotic Energy (Pitch Bend Remix): As I was scouring through this week’s Release Radar in search or tracks worthy of mentioning for Newsday Tuesday this fresh psytrance track proved to be the most worthy.

 

Daily Hat Track: February 25 (The Luna Sequence – Veil Walled Garden): Today’s Discover Weekly reminded me how awesome The Luna Sequence is at blending electronic and rock elements. All of her stuff definitely has an energetic vibe to it.

 

Daily Hat Track: February 26 (Andy Hunter – Sandstorm Calling): An Andy Hunter classic. One of the two nonlyrical songs on the Exodus album. Definitely feel some nostalgia listening to this.

 

Daily Hat Track: February 27 (Ayria – Feed Her to the Wolves): Isn’t it great when you discover an oddly catchy song during lunch and have to spend the rest your workday trying not to sing of how you had a woman eaten alive wolves and then displayed her body to intimidate your enemies?

 

Daily Hat Track: February 28 (Carpenter Brut – Paradise Warfare): Carpenter Brut is great but Carpenter Brut with a saxophone? Mmmmmmm

 

Remember to follow Twitter for a new Hat Trac every day and to take a look at the Daily Hat Track Playlist linked below.

 

https://open.spotify.com/user/beretbeats/playlist/4CIZYAQAzctqYqFG89HIv2?si=hzGhZDDaRV6bgotZiPxheA

 

One last thing. I wanted to apologize for missing the review last Friday. As I’d mentioned on twitter I ended up having to take the week off due to health issues but I’ll be putting extra effort into keeping on track for these reviews from now on (Getting rid of Tuesday Newsday should help