RAN - Exopolis

Review By Karl Magi

Overall Album Impressions

RAN’s Exopolis is a powerfully delineated journey into a dystopian city, full of emotional guitar power and intricately interlocking synths. RAN paints aural imagery of darkness, hope and a strange future as the album unfolds. It is music with richness and depth as well as boundless energy bursting from it.

Perhaps the strongest aspect of Exopolis is RAN’s guitar playing. The man is a bonafide guitar monster who can imbue the strings with energy and life. He can shred like a maniac, but never departs from musicality. There’s a palpable sense of presence in the guitar solos, making them feel as if the voice of a living thing is being channeled through his guitar. So much character and dynamism pours from his guitar and out into the album.

Another strong aspect of Exopolis is RAN’s use of synths to create a cinematic backdrop for the music. I know the word “cinematic” gets bandied about but in this album’s case I think the term is apt. The synth palette is intricately interwoven to paint strong images in the mind’s eye. All of the various synth sounds come together to create moments of energy, intense beauty and deep sorrow. The emotional depth of the music drew me in and fully immersed me.

The other aspect to the album that I enjoy is the cohesion within it. As the music unfolds, it becomes all of a piece. One track moves into another and the transitions feel smooth and don’t jar. The end result is an album that weaves a rich sonic tapestry which unfurls without interruption.

My Favourite Tracks Analyzed

“The Road to Exopolis” starts off with an intense metallic rush before an exuberantly bursting drum and bass pulse leaps in along with hard-charging guitar. There’s a quick drum fill and vibrating synth sounds spin as the lead synth melody flies out with a triumphant glow. The guitar growls as the drums and bass throb with gigantic power. Guitar chords lend energy to the track as elevated, shimmering chimes repeat a taut musical pattern.

Hard-hitting drums propel the music as swirling synths drift and the bass pulse joins the worried chimes. The guitar takes up the victorious melody as it cries out in slightly shadowed lines. I am impressed by the way in which the whirling, madly flickering guitar solo twirls and leaps as the drums and bass charge on.

RAN’s guitar skills are on florid display as the strings create a hurricane of intricate notes. The lead synth takes up the powerful melody as the raised chimes sparkle with flashing light. Underneath it all, the drums and bass charge on along with guitar weight, rushing to a conclusion.

Mistily flowing synths sweep in an airy rush, tinged with a vaguely ominous feeling to open "Silicon Graveyard.” Gritty synth cuts in along with heavy drums to launch the music. High, shining synth with a nervous feeling creates a flickering, ghostly note pattern as jagged bass snarls and massive drums throb.

The bass’ creaking grunt and battering drums underpin the high, arpeggiating synths that raise the musical tension. Harsh bass oscillates to support the raised, sparkling lead synth. There’s a pained but quietly hopeful quality to the melody to which I am drawn.

There’s a drum fill and minor key, darkness shrouded synth clouds move with the sharp-edged bass as the percussion drives on and spectral sounds rise in the distance. Glittering synths arpeggiate with a worried feeling and the melody shines in again, hurting and yearning, as the drums and bass push the track towards an end.

“EPD Highway Patrol” kicks off as smoothly whirling, gleaming arpeggios leap along with flaring synth and heavily pulsating drums and bass. Tumbling synth with a broadly spreading shine climbs in dynamic lines. Twinkling, minor-key synth cascades in a pattern full of barely contained energy, positively crackling with intensity.

The glowing lead synth pattern imbues the track with a sense of acceleration and motive power as the drumbeat surges. Flying arpeggios add to the track’s speeding feeling and after a drum flourish, RAN plays a ferocious tornado of a howling guitar solo. The drum and bass solidity underpins the wild rawness of the guitar.

The impassioned solo unfolds in skilfully interwoven notes. There’s a bursting quality to the drums and bass while the guitar shreds and rockets along. A climbing, flying synth pattern surges forward over the drum and bass intensity below it. Shadowy arpeggios dance and the whole track explodes with life before fading on the tense arpeggios.

Rapidly tapping percussion and warmly glowing synth that flares through the music to bring “The Swing District” to life. A weighty bass pulse moves in a slightly uneven pattern as swelling synth chords touch the music and tripping drums shape it. Hectic, angular synth moves in a revolving pattern as smooth chords rise.

The drums burst again and a trembling, medium-high synth plays a melody effectively mixing gentle feelings with a sunlit glow. A nasal, medium-high synth carries a flowing melodic line with an easy breathing feeling. Round-sounding synth chords bounce in an energetic pattern as slipping sounds trickle in the background. Nasal-sounding synth notes urge the music on in an encouraging pattern over the steadily bursting drums.

After a drum fill, the yearning melody sails out on a full-sounding synth over the oscillating bass and pulsing drums. RAN’s guitar whirls and flies through a solo that reaches skyward, crying out and spilling lush tendrils through the music. The driven, dynamic lead melody and the guiding drum return before the guitar cries out in the distance, imbuing the music with even more life.

“Ashen Skies” opens as pained piano chords create a mournful feeling as they slide through the music, imbuing it with deep emotion. The piano melody is gentle, brimming with sorrow as the drums guide it. Rough-edged bass throbs powerfully and string-like synths call out and add more hurting emotion while the contrasting guitar is fierce and dark.

The track is slashed by an elevated synth howling out the main melody in an arcing line that is broken by RAN’s guitar. I enjoy the way in which the minor key guitar solo takes breathtaking leaps and sobs with emotion over the gruff, snarling bass and battering drums.

Elevated, metallic synth arpeggios float into the music. Very high synth shines with the broken-hearted melody and drums and bass push the song on. The raised synth falls back into the emotive piano part, tinged with loss and despair.

Clear, gleaming synth moves in a coruscating cloud over hard-hitting drums as “That Fateful Day” commences. Wide-open, intense guitar sings a melody that is majestic and full of portentous feeling over the deep bass pulse and guiding drums.

Once again, I am drawn to RAN’s guitar which he makes into a mad thing, bending and writhing with passionate life. The drums and bass form a tide that sweeps the music along as the guitar moves in its dramatic melody and out into silence.

Conclusion

Exopolis is an album that creates a sonic world within itself. Each element contributes to the storytelling and the end result has depth, weight and intricacy woven into it. RAN tops it all off with highly impressive and powerful guitar performances that serve to deepen the music.