Rating: ****
As long-time readers of this site know, electronic music can be a real boom or bust scenario for me. Sometimes it hits me right in that part of my brain that makes my heart and soul feel like it's breathing in time with the beat. Other times it makes me feel like I'm trapped in the world's biggest pinball machine with no means of escaping.
Seattle's Restless Mosiac brings to us what promises to be a collection of tracks that are free from the constraints of traditional EDM and is truly guided by his "inner feeling". That sounds kinda cool.
I'm gonna throw some coffee down my gullet and give it the headphone treatment. I'll report back in the usual spot.
So the good news is that this collection of tracks isn't annoying or abrasive in the least. The lead track "Swelter" sets the mood here with an almost folk tone with interesting rhythms and drum patterns that make you feel like you're at a rave in 1832. Another highlight of the early part of the album is track three "There's Much Left to Explore". This one puts you in a cinematic universe where you feel like your quickly trying to escape a foreign country with top-secret documents while the government tries in vain to catch you. I mean, that could just be me. What I'm saying is that it paints a picture. I found some of the middle tracks like "Desert Scorpion" and "Gyre" pleasant, but forgettable, while "You Only Want Rain Because You're" was a real standout for me. Melodic and interesting, this is ripe for repeat listening. "Tiles on the Tiles" is another movie score waiting to happen while the closing track "The Rock Face of Sholauren" is the perfect blend of subtle and haunting.
