EVERPRESENT – Parallax

Artistik Soul Productions 2018

Looking for perfect angle, electronic project lands on a new line of sight.

EVERPRESENT - Parallax

EVERPRESENT –
Parallax

Matthew Cahoon seems to have gone the distance since EP’s debut outlined his penchant for adventure, but his quest is far from being over. More so, there a pattern now as the band’s albums meander between inward and outward approach to their own, and their listener’s, mindscape; that’s why this record circles back – past instrumental "Soloelektronika" – to "Omega Point" where vocals folded cosmic passages into songs, and beyond. Adorned with Katelyn Isaacson’s voice, “Parallax” is revisiting pieces from its predecessors to shine a different light on what’s been done before – hence the collection’s title – or, more precisely, to add depth to the deceptively familiar tracks and turn the aural journey into a psyched-up trip.

As a result, there’s no claustrophobia in “Dreamstate” whose astral stereo panorama plays tricks with fellow travelers’ brain waves until honeyed vocals hands them an emotional map to follow down the rhythmic route, and though it’s easy to overlook the detail on this piece’s backdrop, the insignia of reverie on “Hypnotic” is clear and riveting thanks to the sparse beats that create a crystalline structure for the tune to seep in and tick away. As introspective as it gets, “Inside” wouldn’t be as spatial and cinematic if not for the in-built march and heavy guitar riff – first evoking demons and then banishing them – while the tubular bells and piano ripple of “Window” beckon sunshine into an elegiac, yet somehow urgent, trap.

Elsewhere, “Take Me” may marry muscular groove to a tinkling desert dance, but the anxious reggae behind the cut hints at the playfulness of such a mirage-like melange of genres – unlike the handclaps propelling “If You Knew” towards ecstasy which feel quite serious. Exotic, stricken with Eastern vibe, “Darklight” is even more intense, and “In My Veins” can easily lend its sweet assault to a death metal ensemble, yet “Intoxicated” will still remain the pinnacle of EP’s seductive ascent. It’s the spectral presence that’s the album’s motor, “Haunt Me” driving this point home; it’s the restless search for a new angle that makes “Parallax” special.

February 27, 2018

Category(s): Reviews
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