Sandor Gavin - AfterLight
Review by Karl Magi
Overall Album Impressions
Sandor Gavin’s “AfterLight” exhales with pastel imagery and melodic beauty, filling me with relaxation and contemplation. The album is a portrait of serenity and beauty, tinged with mournful moments and celebratory positivity. The way in which Sandor Gavin weaves together sonic elements paints pictures of summer breezes and tropical beaches, ethereal and otherworldly. When one adds in the talented guests he brings into the mix, the end result is music for thoughtful relaxation and dreaming.
At the centre of “AfterLight” is the atmospheric nature of the music. Melody, harmony and synth sounds combine to create evocative imagery and emotional engagement. I feel myself moving through soundscapes washed with tropical waters and whispering breezes through palm fronds. An impression of a half-fantastical world that blends influences from 1980s Miami to blue-water poolside lounging fills the music and draws me deeper into the listening experience.
All of the synth choices made by Sandor Gavin work in concert with the melodic depth of the music. His ability to call to mind different mental states and physical locations through a mixture of well-crafted melodies and carefully chosen synth instruments engages me with the world he creates. The melodies are beautiful and tender, radiating laid-back ease, permeating the music with intense lushness and undeniable, touching sensations.
The guest artists who have contributed to “AfterLight” bring another layer of musical richness to the project. Each of them has a sound that is distinctly their own, yet blends seamlessly with that of the artist to weave music that is both cohesive and individual as it unfolds.
My Favourite Tracks Analyzed
“Purple Shades” starts as a tranquilly drifting background moves with an echoing, iridescent synth that carries a tender melody with fragility. The rhythm has a steady flow as the intertwining background radiates pink light and the main melody reverberates with relaxed grace. The melody unfurls with twilit calm, full of pearly light, transporting me to a realm of gentle thought.
As the music slides past, it exhales with the summer breeze. The beat has a strong motion while the vocals transport affection and caring. Open-voiced notes shift smoothly, slipping out above the noctilucent glimmerings of the background as the rhythmic heartbeat guides on. The guitar slips with elegance and ease while the levitating vocals brush with whispering delicacy over me before the track comes to an end.
A radio station is tuned and bubbling synth creates a summery feeling to open “Heatwave”. The lead synth is chilled out and smooth, gliding as contrasting sunlight bursts from the chiming tones around it. The percussive pulse is dense and steady while the higher notes dance with a melody that unfolds, giving cool impressions.
The funky notes that wriggle through add a hint of energy before the jazz-inflected lead synth cruises on, calling to mind chaise lounges on pool decks and colorful cocktails. The percussion fades as ringing electric piano tones float like reflections in aquamarine water.
The undergirding pulse returns as a synth floats with disembodied, silky elegance, while a pan-pipe-like series of notes hovers, transporting me to the shade of palm trees and white sands extending in front of me. Tiny notes flash as the lead synth drifts again, slipping with laid-back relaxation, while the drum beat adds a strong guiding principle. The radio tunes past once more as the low end pulsates and silence falls.
“Splash” starts off as timeless bells ring with tranquility and a rapidly vibrating bass pulse comes and goes. The lead synth has an echoing, twisting quality as it travels above breathy notes below it and chimes flicker with luscious luminosity. The jazz organ’s chiming character adds timeless cool, while the main melody transmits the lazy relaxation of a summer day.
I can imagine laying in sunlight on the edge of cool water. A string-like tone adds warmth as the percussion drops out so the jazz organ can ring and float, evoking rippling blue light. Gem-like brightness fills the tones surrounding the pan-pipe synth as it exhales peaceful energy.
The beat returns, rebounding and pressing forward while sparkling notes glint, evoking sunlight reflected on tropical waters. The main melody carries me along, palm-tree shadows breaking up the sun-washed beach before the song ends.
Nathan Madsen’s sax radiates mellow light and a distant sound flickers with serene grace to start “The Veranda.” The sax roams through the music with laid-back, passionate emotion, enfolding me like a warm summer night as the funky rhythm pulses slowly. As the sax calls out, it exhales like a tropical night wind, laden with the promise of rain.
Percussion with varied textures shapes the music while the sax weeps with tenderness, intermingling with Sleepless Nights’ slowly sliding guitar, which exudes softly touching emotion. The underlayer adds rich depth as Nathan Madsen’s jazz-inflected sax hovers with engaging, ardent energy and Sleepless Nights’ guitar floats past with chill vibes before the track closes.
“Afterlight” begins with distorted sounds vibrating before the pounding beat creates a groovy motion. Brightness spills from the lead synth while the funky low end locks into an undeniable pulsation. The main melody is chilled out and full of poolside relaxation as lucid chimes glitter and the interlocking underpinnings throb.
A crystalline synth carries a calm melody with an easygoing feeling. Horizons 1982’s voice traces through the music with silvery tones while floating notes drift past like flower petals on cool water. Panpipes exude golden light as Horizons 1982’s voice feels like a tropical sunset, glowing around me with utter gentleness. The underlayer grooves steadily while the lead synth shimmies through with laid-back, loungy vibes.
As the narrator asks the song’s subject to “give me your love after light, take me to paradise,” he expresses his desire to be with the other person on that night. When everything feels right, they’ll catch the light.
Quickly rushing drums rebound into a classically ’80s-sounding beat as trickling synths spin with pastel-hued energy in “Into the Blue.” A tightly winding synth figure interlocks with the bursting underlayer and the dawn-lit glow of the main melody, shining like an orange Florida sun.
The unfolding melody evokes pale suits and slicked-back hair, cruising top-down through the Miami heat. The wandering, dreamy lead synth fills my mind with visions of palm trees and condominiums along the main strip, my Trans Am idling as I glide past. The main melody takes on a breathy, breezy quality as it relaxes, before glowing tones fade into silence.
“Fireside” commences with widely echoing, illuminating sounds and ethereal bells that shimmer delicately. As the muffled beat is joined by hugely flaring tones, a sense of complete calm takes hold of me, while the melody shines with impressions of warm embraces and easygoing love. The rhythm is steady as the shining notes glint like firelight on diamonds.
Wordless female vocals hover as the full-sounding, enfolding synth exhales a melody mingling affection and tranquility. The beat is guiding and smooth, supporting elevated notes that radiate the warmth of a winter day spent by the fireplace. The twisting synth cascades through the music as shimmering tones glow with candlelit brightness before the track ends.
Waves wash softly as expansive sounds vibrate and ethereal notes hover to begin “Dissipate.” The rhythm is gentle but insistent, while indigo tones drift smoothly, carried by a drum-like heartbeat. The main melody exudes azure emotion and aquatic calm. Bells ring and glimmer above the current sliding through the music.
Sensations of free-floating through warm water spill through me, allowing escape from the world. The drumbeat throbs as resonant chimes trickle like sunlight filtering through tropical water. As the main melody returns, serenity becomes the focus, shaped by the reverberant pulse. Sparkling notes move like sunbeams across the ocean’s surface while the watery flow slips along and the music stops.
Conclusion
“AfterLight” is music for contemplation, for taking it easy and allowing the stresses of a troubled world to fall away. The music soothes like a balm, giving me space and breath to relax and let go of whatever fills me with tension.
