These Nights Are Ours

Tokyo, Osaka, Kofu by No Death Notes Usagi - This is by far the shortest song on the album, but it acts like a good introduction for what is to come.  The atmosphere is light and active. Like a brooding excitement that is about to break free.  A whole new world is about to open up to us and now we are beginning to realize what it all means.   The way that the synths are made here are really warm and organic despite being obviously artificial in nature.  It is a very nice contrast… how something obviously man made/synthetic can still have that beautiful quality that we hear in acoustic instruments.  The drums are active, especially the high hat.  I like that, it adds to the excitement of the track.  Overall this is an excellent start off to the album and always gets me interested in listening to the whole thing all the way through.  It's the start of a journey and gets me excited to go on it… even after 30-40 listens of the album.   Otooto -...

  The deep dive is for readers who want to dig further into the album by reading the notes and pre-review interview that is done with each artist.  It is best read after the review. 絶望に負けた by Macroblank Notes 1 - Right off the bat you know where this is going.  Chill piano, a shaker, and bongos.  The piano just has the right amount of reverb on it, you know this is gonna be groovy as hell and chilled to the max.  It's after the first few chords that the first surprise hit me.  I was not expecting a guitar.  This may be one of the first times I’ve heard a Santana like guitar used in vaporwave. Whenever this song is on I can't help but either tap my foot or sway my body to the groove, it's that demanding of your attention.  The way that the bass interplays with everything gives this a nice fat bottom end too.   So breaking this down, there is the shaker, the bongos, but also a drumset on percussion.  The guitars are actually the lead...

The deep dive is for readers who want to dig further into the album by reading the notes and pre-review interview that is done with each artist.  It is best read after the review. Notes Prelude in d# minor, “Faithless” - The start reminds me very much of a Bach fugue played on a pipe organ.  The note progressions, especially on the right hand remind me quite a bit of many of his organ compositions.  The progression here is quite excellent for an intro, it gives the listener an idea of what to expect but it is only carried out on one instrument.  The whole EP is very intricately composed and will eventually incorporate multiple instruments from the Renaissance and Baroque periods.  Great first 42 seconds to get the listener acclimated to everything. After the introduction the song moves into the main phase of the composition, utilizing strings and a harpsichord everything moves at a slow but very deliberate pace.  Violins are added after the first playt...

  The deep dive is for readers who want to dig further into the album by reading the notes and pre-review interview that is done with each artist.  It is best read after the review. The Anon Database by The Wushimi Complex Notes Lost in Neon - Oh man the intro to this thing is something else.  The album starts out with feedback and resonant noise that transitions beautifully into a slow brooding melody.  Immediately grabs the listeners attention and gives just a hint of what is going to be coming.  The resonance in the background never fully goes away either, giving a sense of tension to the music.   The end of the introductory period is punctuated by a strong mechanical kick drum.  Subtle percussion drives the song into its main phase, the mechanical angle still going strong.  Gives the sense that we are in some sort of industrial complex.  The noise from the beginning continues to tease us in the background and at points it's the main...