Wednesday, December 17, 2025

Mega Drive : "Gray Town"

 




This is the "Silent Hill" themed album from this project that carries things into a darker ambient place that is often more melodic than the places you were taken on the more neon-lit album "Machines." The feel is less embedded in the retro 80s synth sounds, though those are a mild undercurrent to the album's opening track. I think what plays into this album's favor is the fact that the lo-fi nature of what is being painted here does not force them to try an emulate a production style that is out of their grasp, budget-wise, and plays to their strengths in capturing moods. Though some of these, like the second track, are more like ambient interludes. This carries over into the two tracks that follow. 

It is not until the title track that things become more song-centric and less like a soundtrack. Here, the wonky drum sounds that plagued the album are given a filter of effects and work better. It begins to seem the previous album was more song-focused, as the layered piano melodies offer a flowing ambiance as a texture; there is little in the way of dynamics, leaving things to ride more of a drone. "Seeping Thru" has more of a trip-hop feel, but does not really go anywhere. "Tender Hearts Club" takes this vibe to a more ethereal place. 

This begins to run together as I start to listen to moments that stand out and aren ot just ambient interludes. Delicate synth melodies are floating over things, but nothing that has the backbone of a song like the album before this one. "Lisa Promise" sounds like if there was smooth jazz in the Blade Runner soundtrack. For the tracks under two minutes, a grindcore band could have certainly squeezed a song in that time frame. Lots of ideas, not much in terms of songs. "Home Movies' is certainly a cool sound that could have been elaborated on. "InGrave" seems to have more intentions of being a song, though a very ambient one, yet the beat is more solid and sounds better than the last album. I will give this one a 7.5 as I like the moods.




pst629

No comments:

Post a Comment