Com Truise / Galactic Melt
CD / Digital
Ghostly International / Released July 2011
What does it sound like?
With a tune called VHS Sex on the tracklist you should know what kind of thing to expect on this latest from the shape shifting Ghostly International camp. If you were born long enough ago to remember when a John Carpenter soundtrack actually sounded modern, not just fresh, then this should invoke some pleasant nostalgia, if nothing else.
And at first contact that appears to be the case, another chillwave album for the ever-burgeoning pile. But while there’s no denying said (spurious) sub genre is the banner under which this collection should be filed, Galactic Melt has a lot to offer even if you’re not a child of said bygone era that takes great pleasure in indulging, for an hour or so, in some early Moog inspired music. From Flightwave‘s rather epic soundscapes, and the space age melodies therein, to the tunes with a heavier focus on pastiche (Hyperlips, to name but one, with its sucker punch power drums and twinkling movie-score synths), the nods back in time are as obvious as the contemporary twists are well worked. Basslines groove, breakdowns are sincere, and the production is 2011-quality.
Where would I dance to it?
It’s more a question of what angle should the camera pan down to focus on your face from?
What highlights can I expect to hear?
Glawio might be the most dancefloor oriented track of the ten, throwing in Hotflush-ish accents while somehow managing to sound at odds with most associated genres, and instead opts for something close to an electro ballad. Well, sort of anyway. Aside from that b-boys can look forward to final tune Futureworld, a bumbling breaks track that lunges into action and should get every head in earshot bobbing to the hip-hop tempo. Both of which are very, very good.
Why should I pay for it?
The value of art can only really be judged by how unique the work is. While there are more than a few copies of this flying around the contents, a kind of electro, retro, film score, broken beat hybrid are difficult to come by. Need we say more?
Where can I buy it?
Juno.
