Los Angeles producer Baths ( Will Wiesenfeld ) has released a truly fulfilling follow up to his 2010 electro fuelled Cerulean , called Obsidian . Having produced a very unique electronic experience through Cerulean , Baths creates a softer atmosphere in Obsidian through stronger use of his vocals,.
Opening track ‘ Worsening ‘ starts with a deep and distorted swirl of vocals, percussion and synths, building into an enlightening high pitch singing, mix of cluttering percussion and soft piano underneath layers of sounds. “Where is god, when you hate hate him most, when the mountains and the earth, can be divided by roads” is enthusiastically sung over soft piano chords, starting the album in style.
Soft piano and synth sound over rain as a consoling tune bellows into a soft dance pop anthem. ‘ Milasma Sky ‘ incorporates styled banjo throughout the track, along with fitting violin, a constant beat and soft vocals, creating a mellow easy listen. Baths has struck a new formation of classical sounds, with ‘ Ironworks ‘ continuing the use of violin and classical piano and twisting them with distorted electronic percussion.
With the first three songs twisting classical and electronic sounds, Baths returns to a more electronic vibing sound in ‘ Ossuary ‘. Ossuary is full of deep percussion, fuzzy sounds and differentiating vocal tones, which create a very oriental effect in parts. ‘ Incompatible ‘ comes off as a very odd love song, with lyrics of “first boyfriend, you live in my house, and we share a toilet seat”. Past the odd lyrics are quirky electronic sounds, electronic percussion and classical piano that generate a cluttering beat.
Obsidian has a strong and unique pop element to it, which is expressed through great vocals. ‘ No Eyes ‘ captures those pop elements through catchy and repetitive synth. Following on with the unique pop theme, ‘ Phaedra ‘ holds it and progresses it further with droning bass and heavy, fast percussion that takes over the song, complimenting the outstanding vocals.
The opening piano in ‘ No Past Lives ‘ makes me picture a classy medieval ballroom, with people dancing to traditional folk music. That progresses into heavy bass and percussion when the piano disappears, turning the classy medieval ballroom into a grungy underground rave. The heavy sounds of ‘No Past Lives’ transcend into ‘ Earth Death ‘, a darker, mysterious track with wrenching guitar, heavy bass, crashing symbols and loud drums. ‘Earth Death’ could nearly be classified under heavy metal, if it was not for the liberating vocals.
Steady soft drum beat, even softer guitar, choir-styled vocals and violin make up the nourishing ‘
Inter
‘, concluding the cross genre, classical-themed-with-hits-of-pop, and fulfilling
Obsidian.
WORDS BY Blake Creighton
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