See Thomas Howl - Glow in the Dark

Review by Karl Magi

Overall Album Impressions

See Thomas Howl’s Glow in the Dark unfolds in a intensely intermingled, sonically rich rush of motion and musical drama. There are fascinating auditory interactions and unique synth sounds that create strong imagery and keep my ears tingling. See Thomas Howl skillfully takes listeners on an eclectic synth voyage with this album.

Depth, complexity and interesting sonic interactions abound on Glow in the Dark. See Thomas Howl combines his synth palette in ways that are surprising and ear-catching. I enjoy his auditory combinations because they don’t do what one might expect. The sneaky moments and little details that he adds create interest and make me listen out for what might happen next.

I also enjoy the eclectic nature of the music See Thomas Howl creates on Glow in the Dark. The tracks roam through a plethora of moods, styles and energy levels as the album unfolds. Darkness, light, joy, loss and dynamism fill the tracks and draw me further in to the richness that defines the music on the album. I am happy to be taken on the journey that is being offered here.

My Favourite Tracks Analyzed

“Glow in the Dark” comes into being as a hissing sonic sweep bursts into bass oscillation as digital synth rebounds in a dynamic pulse. A lambent melodic line rings out, adding solar illumination as the angular bass and punchy drums press on.

A raised synth has a majestic, shadowed quality which draws me in. Digital-sounding synth bops jauntily and bell-like notes shimmer and gleam. Brilliant chords flash while the sharply moving low end propels the track. Glimmering synth glows out as rounded notes fall in entangled cascades and the slicing low end scythes in broken movement.

Gruff synth shifts as the massive drums slam in and radiance pours from high synth as the muscled weight below heaves. Triumph fills the main melody as the track ends on shining sounds.

A madcap voiceover is joined by clashing drums and a pumping bassline to open “All American Hero.” Hollow, computerized notes flicker in waves as full-sounding synth descends behind them and massive drums collide.

Chiming synth luminesces, carrying a melody with an ancient quality above the hugely muscled drums and dense bass. There is a wonderfully victorious feeling in the flashing synth melody that rings out. Panpipes move in airy patterns wth an angular feeling as glowing synth calls out in triumph.

Now glistening notes tremble as string-like synth curls through while the razor-edged low end pulsates. The track returns to echoing pipes and the ringing melody becomes an addictive dance. Drums batter and string-like sounds rake through as the low end throbs.

“Mazda RX-7” starts as sharply slashing, entangling synth jumps and elevated sounds call out. Distorted, vocal synth chants in as ethereally gliding arpeggios spin and grow more defined. An enigmatic synth melody sifts through in wandering motion, carried on a haunting synth while massive drums batter and raised notes call out.

The vocal synth adds an alien quality as it roams along. Broadly shining arpeggios twirl above the hard hitting low end. Ghostly, easily slipping synth moves again, effectively creating a spectral impression for me.

The dynamic low end shifts and cutting notes tumble past. Open-voiced, digital sounding synth comes in with a melancholy tinged melody as the track drives on to the end.

Mumbling, fat synth growls as rain rushes down and pounding drums come in to commence “Wet & Weysted.” Razor-edged notes sweep and bass grumbles far below. The synths twine in a dense, gruff sweep as the giant drums batter and a welter of cosmically drifting synth interlocks.

I enjoy the contrast between lightness and power in the music here. Intimidating bass towers as tensely unwinding synth descends while drums burst and the rain keeps pouring.

A juddering synth pulse moves past as the windy sonic sweep flows on. Snare drums move and unsettled notes fall above massive bass and elevated, flickering chimes as the track ends.

“Falling 4 U” begins as cutting, active synth slices in above powerfully pulsing snare drum and lush bass. Open-sounding panpipes move in dynamic patterns while the drums press on and the bass oscillates.

Power fills the scintillating, dense synth to create an intense glow. Chimes sparkle out in a pained melody with a gentleness I find compelling. Rapidly repeating synth forms a hypnotic pulse and panpipes have an entrancing feeling as the razor sharp low end drives on.

Blinding light pours from radiant, intertwined synth above the battering drums. Chimes ring with the hauntingly delicate melody they carry as whirling notes spin out endlessly and the track slides into silence.

A hi hat clashes and a medium-high, bending synth sings a melody full of energy and propulsive motion above rushing drums and solid bass to kick off “Breaking The Law.” The reverberating melody has a wonderfully free, celebratory quality as it rings out on airy synth.

Panpipes flit with devious energy as the low end throbs onward and glimmering synth forms an active pulse. The panpipes skip again, tricky and playful, while the drums pound on. Broadly shining synth dances in flaring lines as distorted, rubbery synth wriggles past.

Light-filled synth twirls in evolving motion as the smoothly scudding drums keep throbbing. Raised notes tremble as the drums flourish before those vibrating notes fade into silence.

Conclusion

Glow In The Dark has many moods, layers and musical interactions within it. Each element is well-executed and they combine into an aurally fascinating, engaging whole that compels me to keep on listening.

Airport366 - Broken Nights

Review by Karl Magi

Overall Album Impressions

Airport366’s Broken Nights is an emotionally powerful, lyrically engaging retro synth exploration of love, loss and complex feelings. Matteo Bertini’s vocal abilities mingle with evocative songwriting and a musical tapestry bursting with layered synths, emotive sax and propulsive drums to create engaging and ear-pleasing music.

Broken Nights is anchored by Matteo Bertini’s vocal performances. His raw, expressive and touching voice perfectly captures the emotional intensity of the songwriting on the album. I enjoy the gruffness in his voice, giving it a lived in feeling that lends a sense of experience to the lyrics. The way in which he can move from tenderness to ragged pain in his singing draws me in.

Fabian Alexis Díaz Acevedo and Matteo Bertini’s lyrics are another strong draw for me on Broken Nights. They capture a plethora of feelings and emotional states in the words, conveying a potent mixture of nostalgia, loss, passion, melancholy and hope. The way in which the lyrics deliver the emotions to the listener is intense and undeniable.

The way in which the musical backing comes together on this album also attracts me to it strongly. The synths interlock into a layered whole that creates varied tones, timbres and aural textures as they unfold. I find the sax performances to be deeply touching and expressive while the drums and bass give the music huge rhythmic drive.

My Favourite Tracks Analyzed

“Do You Want To Fly” begins as deeply swelling synth drifts along with a radio voice over, talking about a flight that is more than that. Floating synth ripples glide through as open chords drift on and a taut note pattern twirls through as the bass broadly oscillates and grows in intensity before ending in quiet. I enjoy the emotional tone this track sets for the album.

Tenderly pulsing, slightly hazy piano dances in a rich wash to start “Steph.” Matteo Bertini’s powerfully emotive voice rings out in a melody that hurts while dreaming of a lost love. Trickling notes touch the music as a piano calls out with deep feeling.

Sax carries a gently caressing melody that tugs at my heart. The sax’s reedy voice is full of loss as the huge retro drums rebound and the piano calls out to add touching feelings. The chorus bursts out with impassioned life as the massive drums add form.

Matteo Bertini’s vocals have a gruff edge as he emotes and the guitar soars in a solo that explodes with expression and intricacy. Matteo Bertini cries out above the huge drums alone before the drums, piano and flying guitar mingle.

Sometimes the loss of a beloved person can leave us feeling bereft and broken. The storyteller wishes he could make it alone but “today I have to face the fact that you’re gone.”

He says he’d fight if there was anything to be said or done. He feels that without the song’s subject he’d rather quit on life. He adds, “Sometimes when I don’t know who I am, I remember you’re the best I ever had.”

Our narrator wishes again to make it by himself but he has “wandered alone in the night for so long.” He adds that even when he’s high, he still hears the other person’s name echoing in his mind.

He begs the other person to “pull the trigger and end this endless chase.” He also points out that when he’s “outside my head” he recalls that the other person was the best for him. In the end he wonders what would happen if they succeeded. He concludes, “We could try if you believe in it. We both know how damn cold can be the night!”

“I Won't Blame It On You” opens as massive bass waves flow outward as a sample from The Karate Kid fills the background. Misty, enfolding synth floats out and elevated notes sparkle and spin. Matteo Bertini’s voice is richly immersed in pained and powerful emotion above the pulsating bass as huge drums thunder.

The gruffness in Matteo Bertini’s voice gives it a quality I find deeply pleasing. Sharply shining synth cuts in and now the low end rises in muscled motion as the vocals leap forward, Matteo Bertini’s ragged voice heartfelt. The female vocalist adds yearning warmth as she calls out and the drums punch in.

The vocal melody has touching emotion bound up in it as glassy synth gleams out with the tender melody as the low end throbs far below. There’s hazy illumination in the background that glides out into silence.

Life can be gruelling at times, but companionship can ease things a little. Our narrator talks about the way in which he and his friend used to "get wasted on Sundays, let our pain away.” He goes on to say that there's nothing that could heal his friends bruises.

Then the storyteller points out that “this place isn’t heaven" and it won’t change. he says that there one always lives on the edge "until the end of your days". He adds that the other person was also “on the same edge too".

Our narrator elaborates by saying that the place in which they live is cruel and it can “slide right into your room.” He says that he won’t blame the other person for being on the edge.

He continues by talking about how they "ran into the night (and) it felt like we finally paid the price" and he’d always be by the other person's side. He concludes that it "felt like part of our engines” as they ran into the darkness.

Distorted, deep notes move in colossal walls as rapidly tumbling, medium-high synth dances in oscillating motion to kick off “Rescue 1987.” Musclebound drums shove forward as a snare drum ticks before a broadly moving sax calls out in a wistfully dreaming melody as the bass rumbles and drums pound.

I am compelled by the sax melody here. Twisting, string-like notes tangle as they cascade and lissome synth gently touches as the bass forms a towering pulse. Elevated notes with a brassy quality call out and the thunderous low end drives. Hardly scintillating synth adds intense shine and the track fades on sweeping air.

“Broken Nights” starts off as solidly pulsing bass and hard-hitting drums drive while soft-edged, bell-like synth carries an enigmatic melody. Matteo Bertini sings the cryptic lyrics with heartfelt strength as swirling synth clouds rise and rippling notes flit past.

Huge drums throb as trembling synth vibrates as the gritty vocals effectively add weight to the words. A ringing melody drifts with a sense of loss above the guiding drums and scudding bass.

Matteo Bertini’s expressive voice tears from him as trickling synth skips past and the shivering background adds texture and the main melody glimmers out with a hint of mystery and pain intertwined with soft illumination. Matteo Bertini’s voice ends the song along with colossal bass.

Depression sits like carrion birds and watches us, drowning us as we seek a way to banish it. The storyteller speaks of crows on the roof “making a fool of you.” He warns people not to let them “walk on your chest” or else madness will ensue.

Now the narrator talks of how rain is falling through fissures as the song’s subject is “drowning in the sheets.” He warns the other person not to let themselves be taken away and spat out again.

Our storyteller wants to set the dark river alight and adds “if there’s a spark I’ll give it a try.” Bonfires blaze and he wants to rise higher, run away and shake the depression off to make it by himself.

Crows remain on the roof as the narrator dances in darkness while “blind eyes look at me everywhere I turn.” No matter how quickly he runs or how he tries to hide, the lurking “black wave is waiting on the other side.”

Softly billowing synth chords add gentle light to “Sanhattan” as they flare and sunlit notes touch the music. A funky guitar twangs along with the smooth drumbeat. Matteo Bertini’s unique voice skillfully expresses tender affection while shimmering synth sparks twinkle and the low end shapes the music.

Passion and emotion join in Matteo Bertini’s voice to deliver the lyrics as guitar unwinds in a melody mingling love and care. Radiance fills the elevated notes while the vocals dig deep with feeling. Hollow synth with a piping sound carries a dreamy melodic line above the rich chords swelling below.

Sax calls out, carrying ardent emotion and yearning, reedy and heart-touching above the shaping percussion. Matteo Bertini’s voice is distinctive and full of feeling as the song slides to a closing on the open-sounding pipe synth.

Sometimes youthful passions return to us in bittersweet memory. This tale’s teller recalls picking up the song’s subject and thinking that when she got into the car, her dress “seemed to roll down the coast.” They discovered that they were “too young to fall” or have a dream of what they might become as they were “driving all the pain away.”

The narrator speaks of lighting a “fire in the sand at night” and asks the other person to go on and reveal her tan lines because “you cannot stop time.” He adds that it has been some time but lately he’s been thinking of “my Madison, our back and forth, the violet light of the dawn.”

Conclusion

Broken Nights is one of those albums in which each element is distinctive yet combines into a cohesive whole. I find myself listening to the mixture of retro sounds, intense feelings, and rich lyrics over and over again. Airport 366 is a band that I'm going to keep an eye on as they progress.

Floating In Space - Simon Sebastian

Review by Karl Magi

Overall Album Impressions

Simon Sebastian’s Floating In Space is a fully realized musical journey across detailed soundscapes that evoke galactic majesty and sweeping planetary vistas. Simon Sebastian imbues the music with intricate synth interactions and enough dynamism to keep everything interesting and engaging.

Atmosphere is central to Floating In Space’s sound. Simon Sebastian paints images of soaring across starry vastness, observing the outstretched arms of galaxies and descending to fly across the surfaces of distant worlds. I am caught and held by the imagery and evocative auditory explorations in which he engages.

The synth palette that Simon Sebastian deploys on Floating In Space effectively deepens the sense of floating across vast cosmic views. There is intensely dense bass mingling with starry synth light and energetically moving lines that elevate feelings of action that imbue the tracks. The way in which each synth sound mingles with the others creates ear-catching music.

I also appreciate the melodic aspect of this album. Simon Sebastian has written melodies that have the ability to evoke a wide range of emotional states. The way in which the melodies unfold is charming and compelling as they move through the tracks.

My Favourite Tracks Analyzed

“Cornetto Galaxy” opens as bursting, twisting synth floats energetically in the distance as drums rebound. Full clarity establishes itself as nasal-sounding synth pulses over bouncing drums and actively shifting bass.

Blaring energy leaps in the background as widely echoing chimes carry a bubbling, energizing melody above solidly jumping snare drum throbbing in steady motion. Simon Sebastian’s synth palette combines into a layered, luscious flow. Open-sounding ringing synth spins along with lively energy above the drumbeat’s guidance. Sparkling, high synth adds sunlit accents as it twines around broadly flaring chimes.

Open-sounding, rounded notes move in an uplifting pattern below flashing notes frolicking on nasal, reverberant synth. The propulsive main melody dances out on echoing, mistily shimmering lead synth while the drums and bass add sharp edges before drifting into quiet. I enjoy the mixture of different sonic textures within this track as it unfolds.

Wind sweeps as distantly tumbling synth shifts below it to start “The Wind On Mars.” Faintly metallic, bright synth trembles out in angular motion as open-voiced notes whirl and a progressive drum pulse creates motion above massively throbbing bass.

A crystalline synth carries a melody that slides meditatively, shaped by the low end’s dynamic motion as airy notes sweep and heavily pulsating drums create shape. The shining melody takes on a warmer quality as it evolves, flaring out above the active movement below it.

I enjoy the slightly melancholic softness that touches the radiance and sharpness of the elevated, cut glass synth.The drums have a resonant quality as wind glides through and the drumbeat changes as bass pops. Gleaming synth rings out in drifting notes as flanging, climbing synth repeats in expansive patterns and the drums and bass guide the music forward.

Flickering notes limn the track and that roaming, ethereal synth brushes with the lightly airy melody as the low end pushes on. The gentler secondary melody returns to flow along before the track ends on percussive power and glistening synth.

“Black Holes” commences as towering, shining synth moves in a steady flow as lower, more resonant synth cuts in unevenly. Growling bass adds a thick grounding layer now as metallic notes gleam through in planing lines. Warmth creeps in as the shining synth keeps trembling.

Chimes delicately illuminate the track in a melody that I find gentle and full of peaceful light above the low end’s depths. Colossal drums move in to create a sense of great power as they throb. Panpipe synth sings out breathily with settling, tranquil motion and the low end powers forward.

Chimes ring out again, lustrously carrying the melody with its delicacy and uplift, before panpipes exhale their caressing sensations again. Underneath it all, power pours from drums and bass, the lower synths creating a shaping flow as air glides and the track ends on the intertwining notes with which the track began.

Glimmering synth reaches a sharp point as it cuts in before sweeping past to begin “Floating In Space.” Reverberant synth shakes as fat, widely twirling bass arpeggiates and raised sounds glide in galactic motion.

There’s a scudding energy from the bass as it moves and the drums flatly burst in as glassy notes twist through. I enjoy the trance-inducing pulsation that drives on as piercing notes ring out in a melody with starry float and intense illumination.

Crisply effulgent synth echoes into openness as the low end has a firm pulse. Scintillating notes flicker past and the undeniable kinetic energy of the low end is now touched with roaming, lambent synth wandering past as silence falls.

“The Pillars Of Creation” commences as steadily luminous synth swells in the background. Vast bass expands outward while fragile, shiny notes flicker out. Light rises in the distance above gargantuan bass walls as a heartbeat throbs.

Intensely illuminating synth descends in coruscating motion while a repeating, wide-sounding secondary synth sings out. Drums create an active pulse along with the rebounding bass as the radiant synth sings a melody with lively positivity above guiding drums. Metallic notes twinkle as an actively dancing, medium-high synth pirouettes in the distance.

After a drum flourish, the brilliant synth melody slows, becoming more introspective and peaceful. Tremendous bass depths open below the drumbeat as jingling percussion moves. The main melody imbues the track with uplifting luminosity before the track comes to an end.

Softly caressing, tremulous synth flows with static to start “You Have Arrived At Your Destination.” Rounded synth swirls as a steady, nasal sounding pulsation shifts. Crystalline notes like chips of ice shimmer and solid bass throbs. Solidly punching drums burst as dynamic bass shifts.

Fluting notes drift with soothing tenderness along with a steady gleam behind them. The bass and drum groove adds motion as full, smooth notes descend in easy motion and raised notes flit past. I enjoy the ethereal exhalation of the fluting synth, carrying a melody that loosens tension from my shoulders.

The drum and bass combination drives forward motion as rich synth washes through. There’s a hissing shaker sound that adds texture as misty notes intertwine. The track drifts into silence on shivering synth with a delicate light as static crackles.

Conclusion

Floating In Space is one of those albums that creates textured depth, melodic beauty and energetic sensations in equal parts. It is a listening experience that carries me away to new realms as I listen.

Color Theory - Underneath These Dying Stars

Review by Karl Magi

Overall Album Impressions

Color Theory’s Underneath These Dying Stars travels down complex emotional pathways as it explores what it means to live as a human being. Brian Hazard’s distinctive voice carries his well-crafted lyrics set against a textural synth background. There’s melodic beauty here along with expression and intensity, making the album deeply engaging.

At the centre of Underneath These Dying Stars is Brian Hazard’s vocal performance. His voice has a sensitivity and range that allows him to capture and transfer the emotional power of the lyrics he writes. I am drawn to the way in which he can drive home the mingled pain and joy of existence through his vocals. There is also a classic New Wave feeling in his singing that is ear pleasing and suitably melancholy.

Another strong aspect to Underneath These Dying Stars is Brian Hazard’s songwriting skills. He crafts words with precision and feeling, spinning out stories of love, loss, darkness and joy. There is depth and weight to his imagery and his word choices result in engaging songs that drive deep into the heart of me. I am enamoured of the way in which he’s able to draw out my own emotions through his words.

The musical backing on this album is another reason for my great enjoyment of it. The way in which all of the synths are interlinked and layered creates texture, tonal colour, and expressive feeling. I also have a great deal of appreciation for Brian Hazard’s ability to write melodies that can evoke the often mixed emotional landscapes that we each traverse. There's beauty, pain and love roiling through the music here.

My Favourite Songs Analyzed

“Crystal” comes to life as quickly dancing, ascending synth with an inherent warmth moves in. Smoothly popping drums shape the song and rich bass adds weight. Brian Hazard’s touching voice carries a tenuously gentle melody as sharp-edged synth swirls and fatter, more gritty synth contrasts it.

Brian Hazard adds a deeper vocal as contrast as rippling harp-like notes flit past in fragile motion and again ascending synth notes climb in energetic motion. Brian Hazard’s voice slides out, embodying pained emotion as arpeggios spin while a harp flickers ethereally and bass pulsates.

I enjoy the gentle ache in the vocals as smoothly tripping synth is joined by a pulsing kick drum. Gruff, rounded synth contrasts with glassy notes and the skipping digital notes cascade as Brian Hazard lets his tender voice slip in easy motion while the low end rebounds.

The storyteller lets us know that what he holds to be precious in himself won’t allow itself to be revealed because “to come out of hiding is to end up alone.” He refuses to break down in front of the song’s subject because he’d look foolish.

Our narrator doesn’t want to let the other person in or cross a line because “I’ve been burnt too many times.” He wants to believe in something and feel alive as he asks the other person to “look into my crystal eyes where a shout of joy is waiting to be born.”

Now the storyteller has been cut wide open by the song’s subject with emotion like a “dazzling crystal blade.” The blade is so thin it creates no sensation and so rapid that it can’t be evaded. The other person sliced “right to the heart of it” with only a small amount of pain.

Massive bass and open-voiced synths echo out in a twangy line that embodies a balmy sensation to start “Trick Of The Light” as the drums create an easily gliding, but solid pulse underneath. Brian Hazard’s wonderfully evocative and melancholy voice carries the shadowed lyrics in a melody that exudes a dolorous feeling of loss.

The chorus has a wistful warmth to it as hollow synths carry painful feelings that cut to my heart while the drums shape the music. The vocals add more intense emotion to an already eloquent song. A piano dances in, carrying a melody that hurts but keeps on moving.

Brian Hazard’s voice has depth in it as it carries the emotive lyrics over the steady drumbeat and rich bass. The chorus provides contrasting gentleness and glow as the song throbs on and the vocals soar. The piano’s dynamic, tragic melody carries out as a quick arpeggio ripples and dark bass fades.

Our narrator talks about forgetting that person for "months and moments” to the point that he wants to scream that he doesn’t love that person any more. On late night drives, however, he still “scan(s) the side streets for signs of you.” In the chorus, our storyteller says that he can’t “leave it alone to think that you were right.”

He still feels like the other person is there “in the corner of my eye.” It’s like something on the tip of one’s tongue or a “trick of the light.” The narrator adds that “this expectation Is my creation” and realizes that it’s unhealthy to dwell on the hallucination of “the sharp sensation of hungering for something different.”

“The Darkness” opens with ethereally tumbling synth creates a delicately drifting pattern, touched with comforting emotion. Brian Hazard’s touching voice carries a fragile melody with his usual sensitivity. Flickering synths tingle against a medium-high synth’s rounded resonance.

Gruff bass pulses in broken lines as Brian Hazard’s tremulous, caressing voice carries the lyrics. The vocal melody brings in some light and air as trembling emotion flows.

Rough-edged, towering bass contrasts with the vocal tenderness. Steadily tumbling, full-sounding synths are touched by hollow tapping.

Tranquil feelings glide from the vocal melody while resonating, smooth synth washes through. The beat gains energy and a grainy, ticking sound moves in while distant piano chords drift and trickling, metallic sounds pop. Hard-edged bass growls and silence falls as the song ends.

In the first line of the song, the night tells the story. It talks about how all one’s “grievances and pain” are engulfed within “the black of my domain.” Now the night tells us we “belong outside, walking bleary-eyed” through vacant streets where “the monsters meet in the darkness.”

It stands with us “alone in a world of vacant cars” and calls for nothing to change “underneath these dying stars.” The night says that “in the status quo of the streetlamp’s glow” it will make a feast out of you “as the shadows do in the darkness.”

The perspective shifts to the narrator who speaks of being “torn away, by the light of day” which is “stark and methodical.” He says that nothing looks the same at night when “landmarks of my daily life glimmer with magic.”

He addresses another character in the song, telling that person that when they get tired “there’s a mattress on the floor” and if they undress “I won’t pressure you for more.” He goes on to say that he will lay beside them “still but satisfied, counting phantom sheep as the lonely weep in the darkness.”

Circling synth with a full sound carries a melody that trembles with melancholy as brighter piano doubles it delicately to begin “The Rot.” The drumbeat has a sliding smoothness while a tenuous melody aches with longing.

Brian Hazard’s caressing voice carries a yearning melody while the drumbeat and bass guide the music. Chimes vibrate with a melody mingling hope with absence. Brian Hazard’s voice moves alone, carrying the heart-aching lyrics.

Shimmering notes slip through with consummate tenderness while the drums keep pressing on as medium-high synth flickers. The vocals contain the pang in the words while the shaping beat propels the music. Radiant chimes glide as the drums and bass add form to the music before the song ends.

The narrator wonders when “the circling of crows” started as a life-long love “began to decompose.” He yearned to touch the other person with rust-stained fingers while their connecting chain was “corroding into dust.”

When one tries to cling to “a moment or a thought” the storyteller reminds us that it has already ended and “we can’t deny the rot.” He had to escape the pain of rejection because “without exception, all things will decay.” Now he suffers in silence with the knowledge that “it won’t last.”

Our tale’s teller speaks of his memory eroding “the layers of the past.” He wonders if he still loves the song’s subject and decides he’s not sure. In a Buddhist way, he concludes that he’ll “cling to it lightly until it rots away.”

“The Serious One” commences with sharply sweeping synth before airy arpeggios arpeggios ripple and calming piano chords dance. Brian Hazard's distinctive, resonant voice carries an enfolding melody as mistily gliding synth curls and arpeggios add texture. Warming piano chords flit through.

Brian Hazard’s voice is gentle as lush bass oscillates. A snare drum along with a ticking hi hat shape the music while elevated synth with a string-like quality carries a tender melody.

The chorus climbs to tremulous heights, carried by Brian Hazard’s leaping voice. Piano chords mingle melancholy and soft emotion as the digital-sounding arpeggios ripple. Nasal-sounding, medium-high synth carries an aching, touching melody before silence falls.

“Why do you giggle when we talk?” is our narrator’s question for the song’s subject. He wonders why they won’t look him in the eye as “you're not the shy type.” When he calls the other person on their cell, the narrator says that they “turn the screen to show your friends.”

He goes on to say that the song’s subject can have their fun because he’s like the “straight man” or the serious one in a comedic duo. He adds that he feels alive with the other person so “you must feel it too.” Many assumptions are implicit in the narrative which render this account questionable.

Our storyteller goes on to talk about his nervous, awkward confusion which proves his attraction. He leans in to kiss the other person who turns their head in “another misunderstanding” but he pints out that it is “all in good fun” and he can deal with it.

He continues by saying that he knows “where to be to accidentally meet” in public “but discreet.” He adds that it’s “enough to tell you I love you.” One wonders why he feels that way.

The narrator tells the other person “don’t you laugh” as it isn’t a joke on their behalf. They have him under control. He says he’s “on the case” as the serious one. He goes on to say that he has “laid it on the line” so if he is theirs, they must be his.

He points out that “we can’t have you looking so glum” as he adds that “I’m the straight man, the serious one.” To me, it seems as if he is trivializing the other person.

Soothing sounds float out in waves as delicate percussion taps to open “Cakewalk.” Brian Hazard’s lilting vocal is gentle and enfolding as the synth ripples run out and warm piano dances in flitting motion. Brian Hazard’s voice slips in and digital sounding synth forms an addictive, angular groove along with dense bass as trickling notes move through.

The broken vocals jump out before the smoothly sliding synth moves into a calming piano segment as the funky bass pulse is cut by string-like accents that tumble down into silence.

The teller of this tale speaks about the challenge for the song’s subject of winning him over “by degrees.” He talks about the other person singing upbeat songs in minor keys which makes him feel “blissfully sad.” He asks the other person to give him all of those feelings.

Our narrator says that he can’t get enough of “love in hard times.” He wants to experience plain truths expressed with conviction. He reminds himself to take shortcuts and keep moving since “it’s a cakewalk.”

The storyteller points out that “when life is a one-sided contest, every day brings another conquest.” He repeats the old advice of dreading the worst outcome and being hopeful for the best, adding the proviso that "no future is truthfully bad.”

“The Darkroom” comes to life as a kick drum pulses and a growing arpeggio revolves in rapid motion as dense bass comes in along with an uneven beat. A widely echoing arpeggio is cut by medium-high, twanging synth carrying a melody hinting at melancholy out above the intertwining low end.

Brian Hazard has depth and lush feeling in his voice as the spinning arpeggios interlock as hi that adds a metallic feeling as string-like notes slip past. Emotional power pours out convincingly in Brian Hazard’s deep vocals above the pulsing drumbeat while an arpeggio floats out in broadly dancing motion.

A camera shutter sound moves past as entangling strings sneak in and the vocals spread out. The percussion kicks in again underneath a bright synth glissade and Brian Hazard captures the feeling within the lyrics. The gleaming main melody returns with its beautiful mixture of need and mournful emotion before the song drifts to an end.

The storyteller mentions the air full of “a certain tension” and despair. He says that with a flash of light he can “embrace the beauty of this night” with delight. He adds that he and the song’s subject could be more than friends “seen through a different lens.” There are “strange developments” that unfold too rapidly in the darkroom now.

Now our narrator exhorts the other person to “dance in your Sunday best” and lift the weight from their chest. He asks the other person to express themselves and “entrap me with a pose.” He speaks of a poem that flirts in their prose “exposed under a waning moon.” The narrator says that “the scent of madness fills the room” along with perfume. As the song ends, he adds “We will remember this. Secure the moment with a kiss.

Conclusion

Underneath These Dying Stars transcends quotidian synthpop in its ability to engage the listener on a deeply emotive level. It digs right into the messy, wonderful and sometimes tragic nature of existence as it unfolds. Brian Hazard creates music that has lyricism, expression and deep feeling bound up in an ear-pleasing sonic painting.