Ferus Melek - Innocence

Review by Karl Magi

Overall Album Impressions

Ferus Melek’s Innocence captures all of childhood’s adventure and joy in a lushly layered synth tapestry. It combines charming melodies with ear-catching synth sounds and fills them with emotion. This album’s evocative qualities call back times of playful excitement, filling me with a positive and uplifting nostalgia.

Innocence is full to the brim with melodies that create adventurous, positive and excited sensations. Ferus Melek writes melodies with an emotional core which draws me into them. I take pleasure in the way that Ferus Melek crafts ear-pleasing and heart touching tunes on this album. I enjoy the journey on which the varied melodies take me.

The way in which Ferus Melek combines and layers synth sounds on Innocence is another strong quality that attracts me to the album. He takes his synth palette and lays in a tapestry of tones, sonic colours and auditory textures to produce a rich and deep well of musical imagery. I find my ear is constantly engaged by the variety and depth of Ferus Melek’s synth choices.

This album also holds my attention because of the atmosphere it creates. I enjoy the way in which it helps me to remember all of the little pleasures of childhood, along with the newness and wonder that I experienced. This album is full of the best kind of nostalgia, pure and full of happiness, which engages me in the music.

My Favourite Tracks Analyzed

“Playful Adaptation” opens with bouncing, reverberating synth along with broadly sliding, rough-edged notes. The chiming, dancing lead synth arcs through the music in glistening lines as the drums and bass jump below. There's an endlessly swirling quality to the lambent main melody as it twirls through the music.

I feel a thrill of energy at my core as this track unfolds.The drums and bass are intensely propulsive and swelling, slicing synth leaps out with dynamic encouragement. The main melody shines with boisterous light as the low end’s driving pulsation goes on.

The lead synth has a relentlessly spinning motion as it curls through the track. There's also a triumphant feeling in the rising, bending synth that cries out with trumpeting positivity. The track erupts with strong energy that permeates all of its parts before leaping to an end on a scintillating tide.

Exhilarating, flying synth climbs through dancing arpeggios to start “XOXO Supreme Bully.” Piercing light fills the lead synth as it ripples through the music above the punching low end. Gruff, bright notes carry a melody bursting with adventure and excitement as they dance through the music. Victorious feeling pours from the lead synth as it illuminates the track.

The drums and bass have a jumping heartbeat that propels the music forward. Arpeggios shine with brilliant light as they sparkle out above the visceral drums and bass. A sense of success fills me as quick bursts of cutting notes flash through the music while the arpeggios arc. Every element of this track is full of barely contained energy.

The main melody cries out again on the rough-edged, trumpeting synth to fill the music with adventurous life. There's a pleasing sense of wonder in this music as it unfolds. The track ends on arpeggios endlessly climbing with dynamic positivity before the music ends.

“Hide Your Marks” commences as wobbling, mysterious synth oscillates and drums tap expectantly. The drums pulse unevenly and the base flows while twisting, medium-high synth carries a melody with a ghostly, wistful sensation emanating from it. I enjoy the melody’s uncertain quality, creating a slightly unsettled feeling.

Now the drums and bass explode as laser-like, intertwining synth slices into the music with dynamism and drama. Urgency permeates the music as the cutting synth adds dynamic life. Underneath the other musical elements, the drums rebound with increasing intensity. Slowly descending, shining notes drift above the continual low end pulse.

A radiant synth leaps out again to fill the music with a majestic sensation as the track drives on. Warmly lustrous chords swell behind the sharp-edged medium-high synth as it dances above the drums and bass. The main melody unfurls in a line of energizing, active notes that fill me with building tension.

Darker, descending synth moves with a more deliberate feeling, adding shadow to the proceedings. Ghostly notes drifting the distance as the low end propels the track. The music slips into the exciting main melody again, exuding feelings of success and drive. Luminance pours from the chords behind the leaping main synth. As the track comes to an end, more dark shadings are added before silence falls.

Nasal-sounding, wistful synth glides out while glowing chords move behind it to open ”Kids Put Posters on the Wall.” Bass growls and slowly pulsing drums move with colossal force. Muscled power fills the low end as it pushes forward. Now the gleaming synth carries a bursting melody, full of youthful hope and energy.

The bass forms a towering wall and the drums shape the music. The medium-high, nasal-sounding synth has a dreamy melancholy within it as it moves above the forceful low end. There's powerful weight and a trumpeting, blazing synth calls out with a melody climbing to the stars. Slap bass twangs through the music and rising notes add flashing illumination.

The slightly aching synth with its tightly pinched sound calls out while the drums add their own heartbeat. Cymbals clash and the bass growls before the trumpeting melody flies out again. The way in which the melody creates a sense of childlike adventure strongly attracts me. sharp-edged flaring chords ring out and the bass rumbles below. The song ends with a sense of aspiration and positivity.

“Qassa” comes to life with throbbing bass and gently gliding, softly caressing synth carrying a peaceful melody. Crisp drums add a snapping quality as the soft edged synth curls through the music with calm light. The low end has a steady heartbeat as the melody becomes an uplifting expression of strength.

Glowing synth moves before metallic, intertwining notes bounce out with singing life. The bass keeps throbbing onwards to add motion to the music while crystalline notes trickle through. The main melody flies out, shot through with hopeful energy as radiant notes shimmer. I enjoy the way this music is permeated by encouraging energy.

Now slicing notes wind through with flaring light as the angular bass throbs along with the pulsing drums. Flashing synth rings out in quick bursts and the twisting, digital sounding synth winds in and out. The song ends on the shining lead melody, lifting me to the skies as it calls out and orchestral strings dance past.

Intensely luminous synth bubbles out into the music as “The Last Quadrant” begins. The drums and bass form a steady heartbeat to add propulsion. There's a minor key quality in the notes that adds uncertainty to their brightness as the low end drives onwards.

Now the warmly swelling synth carries a melody bursting with positivity and dreams of galactic flight. I am so moved by the joy and hope filling this music as it unfolds. There's a powerful drive in the low end as the bending, gleaming synth echoes out. Shadowed arpeggios twirl in the background to create shape while roughly flaring notes dance through.

The percussion keeps pushing forward as the main melody cries out, rich with feelings of exploration and boundless horizons. A synth chorus fills the music with intense surges of life as it moves above the continually driving drums and bass. All of those youthful dreams that we held are expressed with tenderness here as the music unfolds.

Conclusion

Innocence carries me away to simpler, more peaceful and more adventurous times when the weight of the world hadn't pressed down on me yet. We all need that escape when the darkness of the world sometimes gets too much and this album provides it.