Forum Member Album Reviews

[Key]

Thanks Mondo! Appreciate the input. Glad you liked it overall.

[Mondo Bungle]

Starboard II by Psychephilia https://psychephilia.bandcamp.com/album/starboard-ii

The first track here is pretty interesting when these piano notes come along to accompany the light humming drone. That's about what the track is but it's pretty nice and already gets me more anticipative of what's to come. That's a word I just made up. Dark and spaced out industrial sounding stuff here, the layers are building. After 2 minutes there's a phaser effect on a drone coupled with a continuous mechanical clank. The phasing noise does some changing up while the clank still goes in the background. Not too much longer and I'm pretty sure it starts to stretch out, and with that comes a building and ominous buzzing drone to take the song to it's close. If I had to make a complaint I'd say it wasn't as "full" as I might like, and perhaps a tad long for it's content (but what would I know about that right), but it still was decent and enjoyable.

Strange Hum lowers the fi and keeps a monotonous droning for a bit, but after like a minute and a half, a new layer of noise enters the fray and saves it from being too monotonous. In fact, I'd say it turned it into a standout. It's a subtle and light bit of industrial noise, not at all harsh, very pleasing. Echoes starts off similarly, but there's some more odd effects swirling about than on the last track. Though it still sounds a lot alike, albeit more subdued and gentle. Since I liked that one I like this one too. There's enough contrast to make them unique on their own, but also works in the album context and carries out a similar feeling. Stranded in the Woods is a bit similar yet again, this time variation comes in the form of some off kilter percussion. The drones and noise pick up after two minutes, kinda like track 3, and makes for more enjoyably pleasant sciencetastic droning. There's some synth lines that make their way into the haze to make it even lighter and nice sounding.

I might have complained about monotony in A.I, but with Cloudy Day it works better for me. It's more hypnotic, and with the low fuzz that subtly washes over it all, it keeps interest. More light stuff with the synths.

The last track is easily th best. The synth notes are modulated, as is everything else, and we have a very psychedelic experience, a bit unique from the rest of the album. Great listen.

I think this album was pretty nice, and worked better in an album kinda way than the last I reviewed. The tracks carry out a consistent atmosphere that can be felt throughout. It might not be super "exciting", but it's well done atmospheric stuff, and pretty solid.

[Mondo Bungle]

Starboard by Psychephilia https://psychephilia.bandcamp.com/album/starboard

I'm working backwards now. Let's see where the sound from my last review came to be.

Opens with dark and spacey drone ambient. And continues with it. And finishes with it. Not at all remarkable within the ambient realm but that's also kinda tough to pull off. It's still a fine song. The next track is where it picks up. you can make out an ambience akin to the opener but it's buried under some nice noise. As it progresses, the noise withers a little bit and cool synth melodies come in. Everything meshes very well. Meteor Shower is a short and psychedelic, melodic synth segue, and it's still cool.

Not that much to say about Lost II that wasn't covered already with the first one. But this one is more diverse and evolved. More atmospherics and different layers compared to the first. Next is another short one like Meteor Shower. This one has a cool rhythm. Lost III is like the first two but a tad bit noisier I guess. Also, I make out more different kinda melodies, they're very quiet and drowned out but very interesting to me, wish I could hear them better.

This album has consistency going for it, definitely. It's singular and doesn't stray from the formula it presents. Though at the same time, it feels like it's a jumble of rehashed ideas from all the songs. In my personal opinion, this would be cooler as like, one long ambient thing with all the tracks combined into one. Still good ambient, could stand for more variety.

[Key]

Starboard is easily my all time favorite album that I've made so I'm glad it at least had a good impression with you. It was a lot of fun to make too since I really put forward what I knew about ambiance. I feel it worked as well as I could make it in the end. Thanks again for the review for that and Starboard II. Glad you're at least enjoying what you're hearing.

[Mondo Bungle]

I just didn't see it having much replay value for separate tracks. Nice to listen to it all.

[Key]

I appreciate it nonetheless.

[Mondo Bungle]

also in my opinion, being like a two part thing, it could stand to be all thrown together as one album. It'd be a little long, but it's ambient you know. II has a lot more variation which might also work together with I, spread the tracks on that one out more so it doesn't appear as rehashed (I hate to use words like that because they sound negative, not trying to dis). Like, the Lost tracks I feel would be more effective after some more experimental pasta from II.

that's just my opinion, I dunno. Sounds nice either way

[Key]

Totally understandable. Starboard II was meant to be more of an extension of sorts and not an official "sequel" if you will so it makes sense to give that criticism.

[Mondo Bungle]

Stuck Between The Parallels of Man & Monster by Son of Abbot
https://eerecords.bandcamp.com/album...of-man-monster

Kinda don't know how this might sound. Starts deep and warbley with some public chatter. That's what that is. Some vocals at the end that start off the next track. Now it gets into it, a drum beat, bassline, and piano notes for a bit until this guitar riff comes in and ends the track. Pretty repetitive but that's never an insult in my mind. Drones and percussion hits in the next, more lyrics, another little riff at the end. More repetition.

Track four starts with an acoustic guitar sounding melody and some deep and distorted vocals. A beat and riff come in to break the ice, along with those vocals. Okay if not simple stuff. Yellow starts with noise for a minute and brings in the usual instrumentation, so far a standout. Great guitar shredding gives it more variation. Next track has a sparse drum beat and even more sparse little effects in the background, and some distant vocals. Start/stop rock with the next one. Still simple but I like what's going down after like thirty seconds. Repetition in the other tracks was neither here nor there, but this one's a more interesting and captivating example. Low growls in the back and eventually met with more guitar.

Sorrow Filled Masturbation is an atmospheric break, higher register than the rest of the album. Gets heavy again on the next track. I like the feedback coming from the chords being struck, sounds almost droney. Ethereal vocals eventually. The next is a full on noise collaboration that did an okay job keeping my interest. And another one to close the album, even noisier and more diverse. Guitar.

I'm gonna be blunt, I was not the hugest fan of this album. There's a couple cool ideas awash in the repetition. I talk a lot about the albums I'm hearing being in need of more variety, definitely another case. Slow paced with little to grasp for me, personally. Production could stand to be more rad too.

If those cool ideas are any indication, I look forward to more expansion from thisproject, but for now I wasn't wowed.

[Blank.]

Originally Posted by Mondo Bungle

Stuck Between The Parallels of Man & Monster by Son of Abbot
https://eerecords.bandcamp.com/album...of-man-monster

Kinda don't know how this might sound. Starts deep and warbley with some public chatter. That's what that is. Some vocals at the end that start off the next track. Now it gets into it, a drum beat, bassline, and piano notes for a bit until this guitar riff comes in and ends the track. Pretty repetitive but that's never an insult in my mind. Drones and percussion hits in the next, more lyrics, another little riff at the end. More repetition.

Track four starts with an acoustic guitar sounding melody and some deep and distorted vocals. A beat and riff come in to break the ice, along with those vocals. Okay if not simple stuff. Yellow starts with noise for a minute and brings in the usual instrumentation, so far a standout. Great guitar shredding gives it more variation. Next track has a sparse drum beat and even more sparse little effects in the background, and some distant vocals. Start/stop rock with the next one. Still simple but I like what's going down after like thirty seconds. Repetition in the other tracks was neither here nor there, but this one's a more interesting and captivating example. Low growls in the back and eventually met with more guitar.

Sorrow Filled Masturbation is an atmospheric break, higher register than the rest of the album. Gets heavy again on the next track. I like the feedback coming from the chords being struck, sounds almost droney. Ethereal vocals eventually. The next is a full on noise collaboration that did an okay job keeping my interest. And another one to close the album, even noisier and more diverse. Guitar.

I'm gonna be blunt, I was not the hugest fan of this album. There's a couple cool ideas awash in the repetition. I talk a lot about the albums I'm hearing being in need of more variety, definitely another case. Slow paced with little to grasp for me, personally. Production could stand to be more rad too.

If those cool ideas are any indication, I look forward to more expansion from thisproject, but for now I wasn't wowed.

Thanks man. Looking back on this album through a less one sided lens, the repetitive attitude definitely doesn't help it as much as I thought it would. I really hope when I sit down for my next one it will be better structured.