C.db.sn, "Into the Deep"

On this album, C.db.sn (aka Chase Dobson) makes beat-driven electronic music named after a variety of sea creatures like moral eels, anemone, and jellyfish. It's an appropriate theme, for this music, like the ocean, simultaneously soothes and invigorates a restless mind. While some of it may seem a little straightforward, Dobson adds enough emotional textures to keep the songs both absorbing and refreshing.

 

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Dobson has a great ear for this material and adds new elements in all the right places, such as the light, shimmering effects that presage a heartbeat rhythm on "Gymnothorax Fimbriatus" or the subtle distorted textures fleshing out what would otherwise be standard electronics on "Crossota Norvegica." With "Somniosus Microcephalus," he confirms the deep sea vibe with its languid pace and rich electronic washes. Bass takes on more prominence on "Pachycerianthius Fimbriatus," and the track also has strange amphibian blurts and hints of distortion at the edges. I was less enthralled with the opening track, "Nereis Sandersi," a collaboration with Jason Filippini, because I'm not terribly enthusiastic about glitch music in general, but Dobson's deep piano tones provide an adequate counterbalance.

I can't argue that this album is particularly groundbreaking, but it is so well executed that that's not really a factor. Into the Deep is a thoroughly energizing and immersing album.

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