Lunarin
Chrysalis
[Universal]

by emphibian

Perhaps one of the many awkward niceties or what some bands (and by some bands, I mean bands with an originality crusade) may find flattering is when they are referenced to another similar sounding band / artist. I've made it a point to evade such an ideology but it's rather confusingly easy to get into that drift.

Lunarin has been around for a while now and their sound as a band is most definitely matured compared to the likes of your regular dist-fest genre. Although it's difficult to assume if Lunarin had an idea to make this record a conceptual one, the lyrical works and music progression seems to spell that out to me, personally. Why concept? An aspect I could point out to is that most of the songs are written and arranged in 3/4. There is obviously nothing wrong with this intention or style but I’m guessing there must be a reason for using this signature since it's very significant throughout. An obvious answer, it's them. This odd factor, however, could result / come off as though almost every song sounds alike.

The album has many fluctuating imagery coming from every angle (lyrics and music), which brings me to a definite sense of thorough-thought put in to mould the lyrics to merge and weave desirably well with the songs written, although as mentioned earlier, in some aspects, I get a sense of contradiction. I might be wrong.

The several instrumental breaks are somewhat needed (in a positive light, of course) since it's almost partial melancholic barrage will send you gasping track by track.

To comment on the production for just a bit, it could have been better in terms of weight since, hailing as a 3 piece band, they'll need a lot more punches coming from the likes of The Incredible Hulk to create an incredible impact to the new listeners. (Easier said than done, agreed?)

In a nutshell, the ideas are fresh and well delivered. The band is very distinct, so if you happen to be informed of their shows anywhere around, go sink yourself in.

Jogn
Voluminous Landscapes
[self-released]

by Lounge Lizard

Lean back and relax. Breathe.

This is not an album to listen to during the daytime.

Unsurprisingly, this is an ode to the city with various field recordings of everyday sounds. Jogn throws them into his sonic brew, coming up with an amazing soundtrack for listening on long rides. On the 1st track 'Introduction Aexpr', SMRT warning messages rest against the swelling crescendo of strings crashing over.

For me, the album invokes images of Michael Mann's movie 'Collateral', a love paean to the city of Los Angeles. While both pieces are from different mediums, they both share the same fascination for the urban landscape. Though I leave Voluminous Landscapes uncertain if Jogn loves this country, his love for sounds from the streets is unquestioned.

For me, the tour-de-force is the Album Leaf-esque 'Vokahedron' which progresses from a smooth Rhodes melody over a pitter-pattering glitch beat to a fracturing drum'n'bass storm. Being self-explanatory, 'Piano, Strings And The Outdoors' stakes its music theme and betrays Jogn's ambition and keen ear as a movie soundtrack composer.

furniture
Twilight Chases The Sun
[self-released]

by Eugene T

Sweet! Twilight Chases the Sun turns out to be an imaginative mix of predictable grandeur and newfangled-ness, making it one of the finest records produced in this calendar year. What belies this humble-looking green album cover is the clever interspersing of strangely familiar melodious hooks coupled with the haunting vocals of lead singer/guitarist Ronnie Khoo.

The joy of listening to Twilight Chases the Sun could probably be described as similar to the sense of thrill a mother derives from watching her child make the transition from infancy to adulthood. The title track (and also the first track) 'Twilight Chases the Sun' illustrates the pending birth of a child in a mother’s womb before bursting uncontrollably into the world in the following track 'Postcards'. Furniture is definitely eager to deliver its baby.

Subsequent tracks like 'Please' and 'Chasing Tipperary' depicts the dreams of the child who is probably just learning to take on the world, a point when the music builds up to a radiant climax. Yet one could sense the growing sense of disappointment of the child's failure to realize his dreams as the music collapses gradually from its symphonic beginnings to a heap in 'I am Ying', 'Hush the Dead are Dreaming' and 'Lughnasa'.

Despite this, nothing seems to bend the spirit of the music. The synthesizers have remained prominent for most part of the album, even up to the ending track 'Fin'. The 11-minute long track features a refrain that loops continuously like an old broken record that gave it a truly remarkable texture. While keeping true to the spirit of being original, the music in Twilight Chases the Sun had some identifiable influences. 'Please' probably reminds one of the song 'Sometimes' in Loveless by My Bloody Valentine.

Twilight Chases the Sun may not be the album for everyone. But it is the sweet melancholy that keeps one hypnotized and craving for more.

Broken Social Scene
Broken Social Scene
[Arts & Cratfs]

by K. Vicious

Being one of the reigning Canadian indie rock universe's finest, the by now almost-famous sonic aerialists in Broken Social Scene would know only too well that to look down is to fall. This bold excursion into a new but familiar sound territory proves that the members (led by main vocalist Kevin Drew and bassist Brendan Canning) have been learning fast how to dive headfirst into the discovery well of their dogged muse to match the ambition of the dripping epic daydream that is their latest, self-titled record.

Yes, Broken Social Scene is the kind of invigorating indie record that defines careers and maps this loosely strung-together band as a key underground cultural signpost; and let's not forget too that Broken Social Scene achieves this largely by copiously reinventing the musical foundations laid down by former cult heroes as well, from Pavement, Sonic Youth, Teenage Fanclub and My Bloody Valentine to Beat Happening, Modest Mouse and Built to Spill. The rattle and distorted hum of 'Ibi Dreams of Pavement (A Better Half)' sets up the truest setting for Broken Social Scene - and taking off from there, the band never looked back. Single '7/4 (Shoreline)' showcases their flair for radio-friendly tunefulness while 'Fire Eye'd Boy' pushes into melodic overdrive with its interlocking waves of pop mutilation before closing with crashing cymbals.

Each of the 14 tracks sells its own drama but for all its exhausting richness, the record retains its shambling charms and never really comes across as sounding self-indulgent. So while there is no question that Broken Social Scene is heavily produced (courtesy of producer David Newfeld's risky touches), the songs are balanced lovingly between their accidental aspirations and some really top-drawer pop melodicism. Even when it seems like the band is jiving, such as on the hip-hop informed 'Windsurfing Nation' and the smiley-faced riffs on the lovelorn 'Swimmers', the record never quite stop sounding like an intoxicating revelation. Broken Social Scene is their creative will and collective inspirations running on empty for fuck's sake, building and building until it all starts crashing down like a freeze-out.