A reissue of their debut full length LP, this self-titled album by Austin’s S U R V I V E has the quartet presenting nine distinct synth based compositions that run the gamut between prog experimentation, abstract space, and new wave-esque beats and rhythms. Their stylistic choices and approach to music are both pretty clear, but succeed where many others just try to latch on and ride out the wave of synth nostalgia prevalent these past few years.
As someone with an affinity for a snappy drum machine and a simple, but catchy sequencer line, "Floating Cube," having a slightly loose melody and tight rhythm programming, immediately grabbed my attention.With just the right amount of self-aware '80s nostalgia, it works rather well, embracing just enough of the style without trying too hard.On "Hourglass," percolating keyboards and rigid drums appear covered in a vintage haze of faded colors and time-worn magnetic tape.
"Black Mollies" has the band trying different structures within the same sonic palette, utilizing a slightly abstract start/stop pacing, in a complex composition that never stays in one place too long, but does not feel as if it is jumpy or inconsistent either."Omniverse" also sees the band segueing into darker moods via a slower pace and sparser mix, first showcasing the sharp drums and then the synth leads at the conclusion.
On a few of the songs, they drop the rhythms entirely and instead focus on slowly drifting and expanding synth pads and melodies.Opening piece "Deserted Skies" introduces the album with a cavernous and wide open sound throughout, until a pulsing rhythmic keyboard sequence pops up in its latter moments."To Light Alone I Bow" has a vaguely new age sound to it, but tastefully done as to avoid falling into the standard clichés.
The album comes to a fitting climax on "Dirge," with a pace befitting its title.It may have a depressive tempo, but the big, crashing drums and bombastic, soaring synthesizers are anything but dour.The song sits somewhere between a film intro theme circa 1983 and an expansive progressive rock masterpiece.Subtle it may not be, but it is exactly within that pomp and drama that the brilliance shines through.
S U R V I V E's album may have an intentionally vintage sound to it, and that sound being one that a multitude of artists have co-opted and subgenres have sprung up around.Unlike many of those projects though, it does not come across as a gimmick or bandwagon jumping at all.Those 1980s new wave elements we all know:raw synths, inhuman drum machines, and reverb heavy atmospheres all feature heavily here, but paired with a strong sense of composition and effective production, it stands out brilliantly amongst a field of pretenders.
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