Laboratory of Mathematics and Writing

Orax - Crash I'm always excited for a new Orax release. He is one of the very first synthwave artists I got into when I first heard Cometa . I'm fan of all his work. I must say, Crash might just be his most experimental work. Then again, Betray was also very experimental. However, where as the latter album was an artist exploring new sounds and trying to see what musical ideas work, the former album is an artist that is already confident with his sonic tools and knows ahead of time which experiments will be a success. Checkout the guitar riffs on tracks "Crash" and "Black Mustang". They're groovy, catchy, and sexy. I love how Orax applies just enough synthesizer and sax to add spicy flavor to these guitar driven songs. Another successful experiment is the playful, but still dark, vibes on "Chains" and "Complication". The best thing about Orax is his ability to weave dark and yet beautiful melod...

Dreamhour - Now That We Are Here I first heard of Dreamhour when I listened to the album VLLNS . I think it's a wonderful album full of killer grooves and catchy melodies. My favorite tracks included "Cerebral Chase" with it's smooth chorus and both "Blood Patrol" and "Shobdohin" with its sexy guitar and synth lines. I cannot say I enjoy the follow, PROPSTVR as much. For whatever reason, that album simply didn't vibe with me. Maybe it's because the theme of VLLLNS is just way cool, and in having a cool theme, it generated cool music. What's not to like about a story involving a megacity vampire cult? We're not here to talk about those two albums. We're here for Now That We Are Here . There a few songs on this album that give me PROPSTVR vibes, such as the first two songs. Naturally, I can't fully appreciate these songs. Other songs contain quite good synth melodies, but are less tha...

Synthwave 2022 I don't see any signs of synthwave slowing down. On the contrary, the genre is growing and is stronger than ever. It is true that this creates bloat with a lot of artists being mediocre. However, this shouldn't dissuade anyone from seeking out those talented artists that write brilliant music. It seems the genre has grown in popularity and perhaps even recognition amongst people that don't even know what this music is. I put this on at a party one time and a person commented "This reminds of the Weeknd!" The feedback loop has begun and there's no slowing it down now. Mainstream artists have taken cues from synthwave and synthwave artists have taken cues from mainstream artists. So we get this constant supply of ideas travelling in both directions. And that's one bi-directional channel. It is well known that extreme metal influenced the darksynth lords like Fixions and Dav Dralleon. As long as these channels remain open, the...

Fantom 87 - Beyonder I enjoyed some tracks off of Wilds , but not all of them. The ones I did like, I didn't enjoy them as much as I did everything else Fantom 87 has done. It's clear Fantom 87 was exploring new ground. However, I don't think that ground was explored as well as it could have. I'm not saying it was bad. I'm just saying the potential that was there wasn't fully realized. Still, it was a wonderful little album that's worth listening to every now and then. On Beyonder , we find Fantom 87 returning to the space and sci-fi themes of old. The melodies definitely reflect that. Whether it's relaxing while floating through nebulae or hunting down space pirates, this album has got you covered. There was always something calming about Fantom 87's music. Even amidst those moments of intense action, There's always a bit of a chill . I think this album contains that more than previous outings. There defin...

Timecop1983 - Multiverse Timecop1983 returns with a sweet little five song album. For the last three or four albums of his, our synth pioneer seemed primarily focused on love and heartbreak themes. This time around, he focuses on the universe and space themes with broad hints of the nostalgia he is well known for. This actually bears a very strong resemblance to his work under Division titled 2083 . I actually heard that prior to listening to anything under his more well known moniker. I absolutely loved 2083 , so it's only natural that I fall in love with Multiverse . It's kind of weird being made to feel nostalgic about an album that already contained nostalgia. The same hypnotizing melodies that wrap their arms around and embrace your heart and soul are ever present. They carry you to the end of the song and towards the outer arms of the Milky Way. Splendid stuff. My favorite track is "Lost Time"; wh...

Acryl Madness - I'm Madness Acryl Madness is rapidly becoming one of my favorite darksynth meisters. It's difficult to resist the hypnotic effect his music has. Like a spider building its web, Acryl Madness generates spiraling melodies that trap the listener so that they may be slowly devoured by a musical arachnid. Our darksynth meister doesn't rely on warbling distorted bass or any other dub-step trappings. But he does mainting these steady beats that pulse just as hard as any beat drop. Moreover, the aura given off by this is thick, pervasice, toxic, and slimy; just like tentacled monstrosity out of Lovecraft story. I'm a complete sucker for melody and Acryl Madness delivers those in spades. The minor scales used, the arpeggios, and how they transition into one another is pure dark delicacy. The ultimate shadowy seal, however, is the backdrop of rythm, texture, and splendid use of dynamics behind this elegant me...

Vandal Moon - Queen of the Night All the moody goth kids can rejoice. This one is definitely up their alley. The mood throughout the album is suitably dark, melancholic, lonely, and perpetually loveless. It accomplishes this with lush minor key melodies, silky smooth rythms, and a strong but gentle dramatic singing. Not only is the layering of melodies throughout splendid, so is the very subtle inclusion of newer techniques. A great examplesof this minute technique blending is "Laughing Like a Clown" with its synthetic shrill in the backround during the chorus. Another stellar example is "War" with its undulating rythms and captivating atmosphere. It almost casts rays of light within its dark mood. Perhaps the best example is the beautiful voice switching in "Easy to Dream". This is perhaps my favorite song. It's a stroke of genius, really. They kept the core of their sound completely intact. Yet, they qu...