Artist : Brother Raven
Title : VSS-30
Genre : Electronic
Year : 2010
Date : 08/2010
Bitrate : VBR kbps
Tracks : 08
Label : Digitalis Recordings
Source : Vinyl
Encoder : Lame 3.97
Length : 30:31 min
Size : 41,4 MB
Tracklist:
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01.Space 02:30
02.Megaton 04:06
03.Cartoon Life 04:37
04.Symbols 03:39
05.Sentinel 04:03
06.Cold Nothingness 02:45
07.Whirlwind/ Hyperdrive 05:49
08.Sea Breeze II: The Final Battle 03:02
-------
30:31 min
In 2010, the ride never seems to stop so
if you want to get off you've just got
to jump head first. Brother Raven, the
Seattle-based duo of Jason Anderson
(Spare Death Icon, Gift Tapes, etc) and
Jamie Potter (ex-Bonus, Million Mists,
etc) are taking synthesizer-based music
into new and unexpected realms. Anderson
and Potter are total time travelers,
searching out old, forgotten methods and
sounds and taking them into a square-
wave future. "VSS-30" is rooted in its
namesake's primitive synthesis but is
forward-thinking enough to take the
listener on a tripped-out cosmic space
walk.
"VSS-30" picks up where the duo's
previous release on Digitalis (2009's
cassette, "Nellie") left off. It's a
continuation of those ritualistic astral
projects but with more polish and
unexpected surprises. The opening piece,
"Space," acts as a segue into this new,
expanded universe. Washed-out drones
greet you at the gates, advancing
methodically until noisy blasts and
sonar-infused rhythms bring the facade
crashing down. Once the first beat
drops, though, "VSS-30" has arrived.
Disco flirtation and blooped-out nowhere
hooks rise between the waves. It's
almost pop music, but not quite and
falls apart just as fast as it arrives.
As with all their music, Brother Raven's
sound is 100% improvised and always
recorded to tape. That added warmth
keeps their space-age intonations from
getting distant or cold. The flip-side
of the record dials things in and shows
just how much focus and restraint the
duo possess. More blitzed beats push
things along at a reliable pace,
underscored by repetitive tones leading
into candy-striped, totally sweet
synthesizer loops. "VSS-30" seems, on
the surface, to be all over the map but
it's absolutely cohesive and flows like
a perfect pink stream.
There's no doubt that there's been
dozens upon dozens of new synth-based
bands and artists coming out of the
woodwork over the last couple of years,
but Brother Raven have shown over and
over that they've got a head above most.
"VSS-30" is an impressive, fully-
realized piece of work that cements
their place on the astral plane.
http://www.digitalisindustries.com