Friday, August 3, 2012

Review: Lone - Galaxy Garden


Review: Lone – Galaxy Garden

I don’t know much about Lone.  His contempories are supposed to be maximalist sound-bombers like Skrillex and Rustie, but like the Sesame Street shapes, his thing is not like the others. 

The one way you can draw parallels to those other artists is they none of them hold back when it comes to sound.  You find a melody for your song?  What if we chuck another three melodies over the top of that?  You have a drum track?  How about we add multiple drum tracks, and have each one falling over the other to be the top dog?

Reading the above, you’re probably thinking that his music is too busy.  It is busy, but Lone is able to juggle the juxtaposed sounds deftly, so that each melody, drum track and sound effect is prominent in the mix. 

I’ve heard the album recalls the heady (and hedonistic) jungle rave sounds of the early 90’s, and it’s definitely there.  Obviously there are certain musical choices that defined those early Jungle records, and they all get a run here.  What this record does that other records influenced by that era don’t do is capture the feelings of hope and happiness (however short-lived that may have been) at the core of the early rave tracks.

Don’t get it twisted though, this is no retro record.  ‘Lying in the reeds’ comes early in the albums 14 track run, and it defines Lone’s sound perfectly.  The melodies are layered often and early, and the effect of slowing, rewinding and re-starting the lead melody has a trance-like effect.  It’s like waking up in Osaka at 2am wandering down the Dotombori, it’s trippy.

‘Crystal Caverns 1991’ is an evocative title, and it is one of the ‘happy house’ infused tracks.  It bangs, playing out like a dupstep version of ‘Wearing My Rolex’ with Blade-Runner synths slapped across the top of it. 

If you like your ‘loud’ music to be tuneful and melodic, rather than abrasive, then this is for you.  It’s an alternative to the ballistics and a great record for those times when you just aren’t up for the moshpit.

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