Flicker Rate - Skylight
ARTIST........: Flicker Rate
TITLE.........: Skylight
LABEL.........: n/a
URL...........: http://www.facebook.com/flickerrate/
GENRE.........: Instrumental Rock
QUALITY:......: 245 kbps avg/ 44100Hz / Joint Stereo
RIP DATE......: 2018-09-11
RELEASE DATE..: 2018-04-13
Tracklist:
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01. Skylight 3:22
02. Cloud Drop 3:47
03. Shimmer 1:58
04. Grow 4:27
05. Echoes Fall 1:45
Total 15:19
Release Notes:
Spencer Bassett, a solo musician from Ireland, has created a new EP under his
Flicker Rate moniker! This is his third release in form an EP, and he has
established himself on the Internet as a strong up-and-coming instrumental
artist. Through this new release called Skylight, Flicker Rate takes on various
styles and genres to stand out from the numerous instrumental acts of today.
Right from the get-go, title track ôSkylightö fills your ears with sweet and
charming chords, coupled with a trap-style drum beat to give off a vibe in the
vein of Polyphiaæs laid back tracks such as ôBittersweetö. However, it still
maintains its originality through the use of odd time signatures in a very
approachable way, making it flow really well throughout the whole song. Bassett
takes a very twinkly and charming route in this one! Tasteful sound samples of
birds and nature contribute to the sweet and innocent atmosphere of the whole
song as Bassett gives a constant input of sweet tapped guitar notes.
The track ôCloud Dropö takes a much more groovy approach, now using
acoustic-sounding drums with ghost notes to accompany the cascading riffs of the
guitar, following a similar route of songwriting to bands such as TTNG. It is
also met with a piano to add high register nuances to the melodic riffs, making
it hard to not at least move your head to the song as it plays. My personal
favorite section of the EP is the outro to ôCloud Dropö, which adds a feeling of
excitement and acceleration to the end of said track. ItÆs always nice to add
some driving energy to close off a track!
Final track ôGrowö is my personal favorite. It is more atmospheric, with not too
much variation taking place in the guitar riffs, but still maintains a nice
groove thanks to the drumming. By being rather minimalistic, it sets a tranquil
and peaceful tone. The spacey mood is a nice contrast to some of the other
tracks, avoiding monotony and making Skylight a bit more versatile as a whole. A
very fine way to close off the EP, ôGrowö doesnÆt linger on to the point where
the listener gets too tired.
SWEET NEW ADDITION TO THE INSTRUMENTAL SCENE
This was a very fun listen, with lots of twists and turns in the ways that
Bassett wrote his songs. It also stands out as being very well-written without
being oversaturated with technicality and verbose instrumentals. A lot of
instrumental bands nowadays like to focus on technicality, and sometimes that
may mar the songwriting of the artist; however, the opposite is the case when it
comes to Flicker Rate. The music is simple, short and sweet. It focuses on the
atmosphere of happiness and peace, which in turn makes the listener happy.
Flicker Rate is a project with a lot of potential, and I hope that they find
their prominence in the music world. Skylight is a very refreshing release in
the instrumental scene. Best wishes go out to Bassett for future releases!
Score: 9/10
FFO: Polyphia, Ichika, TTNG
https://flickerrate.bandcamp.com