Synth Single Review: “Fusion” by Alex Boychuk

by Karl Magi

Alex Boychuk’s “Fusion” flows with hypnotic calm, as trembling tonal vibrations spins out into openness before a steady rhythmic pulse adds guidance and cleanly flaring tones create a trance-inducing pattern. Swirling notes endlessly revolve into vast space while the sharp drums and solid bass guide them, creating lacy patterns which weave together continuously. 

A guitar which flashes intensely to paint images of ancient galactic structures in gliding motion. The melody evokes feelings of weightless hovering, drawing me into a vision of timeless journeying  across far flung galaxies, forever moving across the incalculable ranges of the universe.  

Like cosmic radiation, all of the intertwining background energy supports the guitar as it drifts like a lonely wanderer across an endless astral sea. A reverberating synthesizer  spins around with a feeling of continuity while a levitating melody slides into space and the track falls silent.

Synth Single Review: “Cost Of Loving” by Rogue FX

by Karl Magi

Rogue FX’s “Cost Of Loving” slowly hovers into life with elegantly simple notes that glisten with dewdrop light before a theme that reverberates with fierce brilliance rises. The gruff edges of Rogue FX’s unmistakable voice carry a layered melody which mingles caring and questioning while the rhythm leaps out. 

All of the neon effulgence of the synth permeates the resonant vocals that echo with feelings of struggle and a reach for survival. Luminous tones dance in a pattern of bouncing energy while flowing underpinnings join sunlight spilling from synth notes as the sharper edges below contrast with Rogue FX’s ardent vocals, driving the song's message into my heart while tumbling notes exude a subtle sheen and the song closes out. 

As everything becomes increasingly expensive, our storyteller wonders how to make more money and deal with "the rise of the cost of loving." The price means that everyone needs a greater supply of love to make us happy.  He says "you've got to understand, it's hard to build a life in political strife with the cost of loving." As things rise and fall, he understands that, "the winner takes it all with the cost of love."

With more bills left unpaid, "it's everybody for themselves, that's the cost of love." The narrator adds that, as he and the song's subject count their blessings, they feel lucky "that we got the both of us." As he points out that the high rate of inflation is "too tight to mention and not conducive for love,” they are "manifesting quite a lot" because what they have isn't enough as the numbers increase.

All of the plans made by our storyteller and the song's subject are "spiraling so out of touch with the cost of love." His pulse pounds and his blood pressure spikes as the cost of loving exacts a toll and the price continues to rise. Despite the power of love, money woes persist and "that's just the way the story goes." To conclude, he points out that it's "just me and you against the world, that's the cost of loving."

Tame Werewolf -Midnight Wanderer

by Karl Magi

Overall Album Impressions

Tame Werewolf’s “Midnight Wanderer” is a unique and ear-pleasing sonic adventure through years gone by with a rich retro feel that combines synth pop, Italo disco, funk and soul music to create a fascinating, intensely enjoyable musical mixture. Tame Werewolf has a fresh take on what one can do with synth music and the end result is playful and entertaining. Adding in his engaging and expressive voice gives the album more lively energy and uplifting feelings as it evolves.

All of the different eras and synth sounds come together into a cohesive whole on “Midnight Wanderer,”  grabbing a hold of me with their layered and carefully chosen tones. The low end’s groovy weight balance with jazz influences and dirty, funky sound that makes me want to get down on the dance floor. All of the atmospheric magic created by the different tones and timbres conjures up strong imagery of disco clubs and late night relaxation, balanced with feelings of love and desire. Tame Werewolf has a real talent for skillfully combining synth elements to paint pictures.

Emotion also defines the soundscape of “Midnight Wanderer,” captured by Tame Werewolf with clarity and immediacy in both his vocals and melodies. Moments of fiery attraction are leavened with relaxation and playful sensations that flow from track to track. He can capture deep contemplation as well as irresistible attraction with equal ability and write melodies that propel all of the different feelings right into the listener's heart. In the end, each different track takes the listener to a new location and state of mind in a way that is hard to put down.

I also am a fan of the individuality that comes from this production. Tame Werewolf isn't trafficking in synthwave cliches or phoning in his performances, he's really engaged with the retro nature of the music along with the atmosphere and emotion that he clearly wants to create. The fact that seeks out his own pathway and uses synth sounds in a fresh way is something that I can happily support. 

My Favourite Tracks Analyzed

“The Other Side - Rework” bubbles into being with a quick tonal rush that expands and contracts before the undulating rhythmic pulse moves with a kick drum heartbeat and open-sounding notes pass like aquamarine light. A sharper edged note pattern wraps around Tame Werewolf’s fragile, slightly distorted performance to create mysterious grace. 

Tones like astral spirits wander, forming a lightly touching sonic web, while a melodic line yearns, a counterpoint to the synth’s starlight, before the soft vocals tenderness transmits deep care before slowly shifting notes dance like flickering moonlight before a haunting synth paints pink light and evokes quiet contemplation. A rather alien feeling touches the notes which only draws me more deeply into the song’s spectral world. 

While our narrator is walking through the fire, he receives another sign and says "I know I will be fine, feeling what I have felt on the other nights.” He feels that he'll see the songs subject on the other side, " you shining beside the stars, like a butterfly searching for the light, even in the darkest night. "

Rising with iridescent luminescence as a tremulous underlayer vibrates with rich sound as arpeggios break the light into prismatic refractions as “Our Minds Tonight - Rework”  leaps with a rapid rhythm. Wistful recollection fills Tame Werewolf’s voice which calls out with a guitar that strums in delicate lines while sweeping tones add nobility. 

The underpinnings press while the vaulting arpeggios are joined by computerized note patterns that add intricate support. Robotic energy permeates Tame Werewolf's vocals, somehow increasing their emotional weight for me. Arpeggios revolve, creating dawn-touched brightness while a luscious, mellowed out synth floats with dreamy gentleness. 

A fluting note pattern creates an interwoven, graceful sensation that is full of soft touches and loving feeling before trembling tones cry out. Wildly flying arpeggios are joined by the guitar as it slips with tranquillity while Tame Werewolf cries out to propel the lyrics before the song closes. 

 As his eyes are filled with floaters, the time for him to rise is nearing and the narrator has been searching for the song's subject "on the sands of the shore." He wants the other person to tell him "all about love in the perfect silence of our minds tonight" as they shine  brilliantly under the moonlight. 

Having left everything behind, our storyteller wants the other person to take him to " the forest of our minds tonight." They will remain together forever "in this life or beyond" while they stay in love eternally where they belong. 

“Boogie Night” shimmies into life with disco funk and a groove that moves my soul as the absolutely classic synth swirls like disco ball lights and the percussion moves with the wriggling melody that exudes pure cool. 

All of the notes are twisted and chilled out, moving with undeniable energy, while Tame Werewolf grabs hold of me with his passion and deep midnight vibes. A nightclub atmosphere permeates the song as the vocals float and express all of the desire within  the lyrics while the funk leaks from every pore of the music. 

A synth solo moves with hip shaking cool, writhing and snaking, evoking a dancer getting down and getting loose while the groove shivers in the distance. The vocals broadcast the feelings of affection and attraction before the song closes out.

Wanting moonlight to guide him through the night, our storyteller asks to be taken to where he belongs and to be kept going constantly. He wants the song’s subject to “take me to the end of love, where I fly above the stars." As they hold each other tightly, “in the boogie night, I will find my way to life.” He concludes, “let's spend another night together and I will hold you in my arms forever. " 

Another wave of funky expression hits with twangy bass and extended chords that sweep with nasal energy to bring “5th Wave” in with a lively disco beat as warm bells invite the listener into a world of laid-back, ultra vibey sensation. A ringing tonal pattern creates an impression of chilling out in a late night lounge, one eye on the dance floor while the jazz organ echoes. 

A tightly wriggling synth pattern forms a melody that evokes smoothness and relaxation in a super slick environment while an open-voiced melodic line surfs on the twinkling notes below it. All of the atmospheric sounds carry me off to a world of pastel penthouses and neon lights while the nasally frolicking tones guide the music to a close. 

Jazz organ drifts like a hazy, half-remembered dream before soft-edged, melting tones float with relaxing feeling to bring “Midnight Wanderer” into a blue existence as the hollow melody twists with fascinating textures, evoking calm in the darkness. 

Lightly luminous sounds with a vocal quality support the guitar-like tones before a clarinet-esque synth sails upward in a cloud of gentle light. Impressions of a penthouse overlooking city streets, cool jazz playing on the stereo while a  languidly lounging character relaxes after a hard day's work fill my mind.

“Lost in Neon Paradise - Rework” breathes with complete, turquoise calm and a ticking drum beat cascades with fat bass pulses to add a contrast to the deeply floating background before a computerized note pattern frolics with an easy-going, silky motion. 

Locking into a groove with the percussion, bass is joined by a xylophone that moves like flowing water while the tightly wound main melody shimmers and gyrates, full of dance floor energy. A series of colliding drum beats moves with metallically glistening tones that evoke a character dancing to the morning light. 

Jazz inflected notes create an entwining melody before brilliance spills from higher tones that wander before widely hovering. A lithe synth exhales with undeniable relaxation. A disco-influenced beat takes the track to an end. 

With exuberant energy, “Ray of Sunshine” dances to life with an Italo disco fire that is full of joyful celebration as rippling light spills and the entire song grows stronger before the lead guitar glides with chilled-out ease and a fluting synth carries a warming melodic pattern. 

As the steady, interlocking undergirding supports the vocals there's a sensation of unbelievably engaging affection from the vocalist. Unadulterated brilliance outlines the lyrics while the melodic pattern shimmies on notes that reflect midsummer light. 

A sweeping pattern of intertwining tones transmits pure affection while the groovy foundation cascades. Tame Werewolf affects me with the need that is made plain in his performance While traces of tropical brightness guide the song to an end.

Sunlight beams, breaking the “silence that fills the night through the echoes of my mind” as starlight slices through unending gray, before “fading into the skyline.” Sunlight transports our storyteller "back to the other side where the feelings are so high." 

He can feel the other person's vibe in the middle of the night as he asks for one more chance to be with them. "A ray of sunshine piercing through the veil of dreams, chasing shadows far behind" as the starlight rises " like a distant flame that was hidden from my sight. "

“Arcade Time Machine” opens with a technologically gyrating bassline that moves with strangely haunting notes that snake through the music before brassy, irradiating light spills and panpipes exhale with a metallic sheen before clean tones cut with futuristic dynamism. 

Underneath the other elements, the beat pumps with unshakable cool and the music flows with reverberating and bass broken drums. Spaced-out tones create nostalgic reflection and I’m transported to a retro realm as the disco boogie shapes the track and a flute unwinds in a chocolatey line that permeates the track. An almost majestic melodic pattern calls out on a synth like a refracted beam of light before the track comes to a conclusion.

Conclusion

“Midnight Wanderer” showcases the unique and entertaining talents of Tame Werewolf with music that is both emotional and playful. The artist's clear love for eras gone past combines with fresh immediacy that drives home the album’s atmosphere and energy with conviction.

Valley Lights - Devil May Care

by Karl Magi

Overall Album Impressions

Valley Lights’ (Kai Mammoser) “Devil May Care” is a ride through retrowave landscapes that pours out emotion with unrestrained dynamism, capturing an era gone by while staying relevant with an impact from the intense vocal performance and well-crafted songs from the artist. He and his collaborators on the album have painted images of midnight contemplation and feelings run the gamut from desire to bereft loss. All of these elements are anchored by solid performances and carefully chosen synth accents, along with the right instruments to create a compelling soundscape.

Sitting in the center of “Devil May Care” is Kai Mammoser's intoxicating voice which is an instrument that can capture a broken heart just as well as a defiant sense of rebellion. The way in which he can move from emotion to emotion with a seamless ease makes the listening experience quite addictive. When you add in the sense of honesty and clarity in his performances, the end result is quite galvanizing and brings a real depth of feeling to the music.

 All of the song writing that fills “Devil May Care” is compelling. Kai Mammoser is able to take words and pierce the listener with feelings that are immediate and full of relevance. Each song encapsulates shards of different moods and spaces, using that environment to  delineate varied states of mind that move through human existence. All of the lyrics blend quite seamlessly with the vocal performances and increase the emotional weight of the songs.

On top of these factors, “Devil May Care” brims with superb performances and first-rate melodies that are expressed by Kai Mammoser and his collaborators. Each instrumental sound has been selected to complement the melodic nature and emotional rawness of the songs. His collaborating producers have added polished depth to each of the tracks to which they contributed and the melodies are able to further intensify the feelings that spill out of each song.

My Favourite Songs Analyzed

“Giving Up On You” fills the musical atmosphere with vibrant notes that join together into an active flow as Kai Mammoser's surprised lyrics capture the shock of a sudden breakup with real emotional depth and believable expression. Tones burst with midsummer brilliance and the vocals echo with a sense of unbreakable devotion, as the guitar solo is full of the remnants of happy times gone by. 

A rush of overwhelming feeling catches me and reminds me of my own struggles with loss and having to start anew. All of the exhilarating sheen splashes over the guidance of the foundational pulse, joined by the pain of loss. 

All of the '80s impressions generate a sense of lost time as a character, voiced by Kaarin Zoe Lee, discusses the way in which the relationship changed and wonders what happened. The drums grow in strength as the chorus slides out again, full of hope and perseverance, before the song winds down on softly shining synth.

The storyteller was taken by surprise when he and the song’s subject broke up once again. He says, “I didn’t see it coming, left me paralyzed, running in the dark,” and he was unsure of how to react. He adds that they only have the moment, but “I don’t want to leave the past behind.” Anyway, he doesn’t believe in second chances when “I still love you like the first time.”

The song’s subject is all that the narrator wanted and he won’t give up on them. He continues, “Without you I’m haunted, I’m not giving up on you.” He wants the other person to save him from himself, help break his fall and “stop me from acting crazy.” He asks to be taken somewhere else because “I can’t walk away though it’s the right thing to do.”

Now the storyteller reiterates that they only have the moment and he should leave the past in the past, but “I’m just so hopelessly romantic and I still love you like the first time.” He wonders how to get to heaven when “you’re walking through hell with the devil riding high on your shoulder,” and as the waters rise over his head, he sinks and is “going under because I can’t get through to you.”

Indistinct voices crackle across the radio as unfurling tones create a hushed sense of melancholy as “Fading Light”  sweeps with sirens and Kai Mammoser’s expansive and compelling vocals transmit a darkness-tinged melody above percussion which presses forward. 

Absence and hurt spills from the melodic line while Kai Mammoser's soul-stirring voice grips me, broadcasting the lyrics with an aching feeling. A synth melody, like a swirling spirit, traces above the  bursting beat while ferocious vocals stab. 

Chimes add a web of light while the throbbing underlayer slashes forward. As Kai Mammoser unleashes his heartfelt performance, the background wraps around me with misty serenity before the chorus surges again, broken and yearning, before the song closes out.

Sitting alone at a bar, our narrator has a glass in his hand as the night has become cold outside. "The jukebox is playing Mr. Brightside, I can feel my heart beat fast as shadows moving from the past surround me and cast a dark illusion." Since the song's subject has left his life, he holds on to their memory "like a fading light, a spark that once burned, now lost to the night."

Feeling as though he's "trapped behind a thousand lies" the storyteller can still see through the song's subject’s "sweet disguise." He declares that the relationship is over without any second chances because he isn't anyone's fool. He wants a love sent to him that "won't be cruel to this heart of mine, I'm breaking these chains, I'm not caught in the headlights." 

In conclusion, he says that “a memory of you is all that I have left, broken promises, empty words, a heart bereft. " 

“Something Worth Living For” winds into life like a cassette tape as hissing static is broken by exciting rhythms and a melodic line that shines like midnight neon before the wonderfully engaging vocal performance encapsulates all of the excitement and joyful readiness for change within the lyrics. 

As the steadying underpinnings pulse, unadulterated happiness and relief seizes me, expressed by Kai Mammoser with absolute conviction and a feeling of freshness and untapped potential. A synth creates images of entangled love and starlight illuminating scenes of romantic connection and escape. 

All of the unrestrained emotion inside the vocals pours out while the background exudes brilliance and the bass rumbles, accenting the strength of the performance. Elevate The Sky’s guitar solo explodes with brightness and wild joy that mimics the vocal performance and closes the song out. 

Explaining that he is "lost in a dream, a selfish fantasy" because he never believed in anything real, the narrator adds, "I've never felt this feeling before and you've opened up the door to something worth living for." The song's subject also gave him something for which to fight.

Comparing their love to "a perfect melody stuck inside my head, becoming a symphony"  our storyteller reiterates the fact that the other person has opened him to something worth living for. He also points out that all he needs is "something worth dying for." 

"If I could turn back the clock somehow and see in a different light" the narrator says he'd be less guarded, seize the moments and not allow them to escape from sight. Even though heavy rain falls and dark clouds become gray, the narrator concludes that "I'd walk ahead with arms wide open, unburdened by yesterday. " 

A classically propulsive synthwave drum beat moves with shining notes that descend with glimmering luminosity as “Collateral Damage” grows rapidly into a lively rush, nostalgic and breathing with remembrance. Kai Mammoser’s echoing vocals mingle pain and dreams of a love gone by as the guitar dances with spangling brightness and the rhythm reverberates. 

Notes like golden hour sunlight spill above the vocals as they capture heartbroken reflection, evoking some of my own experiences, while the guitar calls out in a mellow glide. Drumbeats subdivide underneath the ardent vocal performance, before the drums briefly fade and the vocals soar upwards with undeniable feeling. 

As the guitar creates impressions of late night rumination, bells twinkle and Kai Mammoser wrings every ounce of sensation from the lyrics before the song ends on a guitar solo that doubles the charismatic vocals.

"Underneath coastal skies, we found our paradise," but after all of that they lost themselves, according to the storyteller. They crossed a line with "all the petty things we did and all of the broken promises” so they can't go back.  Feeling low and lonely, he drives around, searching his soul.

"Perfume and candlelight, the soft look in your eyes" made it impossible for our narrator not to turn the other way. He's unsure if it could ever have lasted as they were stuck in the past. The song's subject is gone but our storyteller remains there calling out for them.

In the end, "the worst thing is I took you from him and I never wanted you back, I just wanted to win." 

“Indiscretions” begins with funk and an underlying flow that adds guidance before a Sensual  series of tones slide in a satin glide before Kai Mammoser balances desire and distrust in his earnest performance. 

A muscular groove locks together the drums and bass while the indulgent passion of the lyrics permeates Kai Mammoser's’ honest vocals while a gleaming guitar wraps around the words. A double punch of retro nostalgia and emotional clarity grip me, drawing me into the message that Kai Mammoser transmits to the listener. 

Jazz organ gives a sparkling touch to the heartfelt energy within Kai Mammoser performance as the groove hits hard. pumping drums push on as the twanging guitar intermingles with them before the music slips into silence.

The storyteller says that the song's subject always shows her teeth when she's smiling. He adds that "all the boys come from miles and miles just to get a glimpse of your features" and everyone in town is dying to meet her. He wonders if it’s a game or all just imagination as he ponders, "What do you think about when you lay in my bed?"

Even though he loves the song's subject, the storyteller isn’t blind, he feels there’s something else “going on in your eyes.” He realizes she has good intentions, but also knows about her “little indiscretions.” Despite those intentions, she’s been “playing games since the day I met ya.”

The song’s subject doesn’t like to be the life of the party, she’d rather be “in the back with me, getting naughty.” She calls the narrator when she wants some fun and they stay “up all night until the morning comes.” He adds that it “always felt a little strange how you jumped in my bed,” saying she loved him even though they’d just met. He concludes that while he doesn’t read tarot, “I can see the signs, there’s something else going on in your eyes.”

Creating a rewinding sound, twisting tones are joined by a soft rain shower and an evenly flashing notes pattern along with heavy foundational weight and tumbling notes before “New Mexico” flows with Kai Mammoser's compassionate, slightly broken vocals.

A tenuously chiming melodic pattern joins the broadly reaching vocals as Kai Mammoser captures tenderness before the huge percussive beats add motion. All of the ferociously expressive words touch me deeply before the fragile synth draws images of loving caresses and fulfillment.

As strong percussion shapes the levitating melody, it exudes blazing attraction tempered by soothing  feelings as the jeweled arpeggios shine with undimmed iridescence. The song ends with Kai Mammoser’s confident power fading into silence.

An atmosphere of timelessness permeates the air as the narrator wakes up with the same questions like: "how do I get out of here?" He can feel something calling to him and "pulling me from everything I know" and he wants to surrender to it. His heartbeat accelerates, growing louder in his ears and he is "running towards this dream I'm after" and he won't stop until he has more.

 "The streets are like a fading picture, underneath a silver sky" for our storyteller and he points out that each mile represents a promise and each turn is a reason why. He concludes that " the horizon pulls me forward, like a river to the sea and it's calling out to me. "

An arpeggio creates minor-key shadow, like the darkness between street lights at night as “In the Silence” begins and Nightmarepaint’s guitar melody slides past like a lonely car on an empty road while string-like notes glisten before Kai Mammoser's’ voice carries a haunting melody. Michael Oakley and Missing Words’ production is nuanced and emotive on this track.

The rhythm presses forward as the vocals move from brokenness to completion and after orchestral hits, the pumping beat creates motivational positivity. Kai Mammoser's voice adds a resonant expression that drives the song’s message home. Flickering notes resemble headlights cutting through nocturnal darkness while the minor-key vocal melody reflects pain and emptiness before positivity returns.

The chorus is supported by a choir that adds worshipful gentleness as the vocals rise with uplift and encouragement. As Kai Mammoser encapsulates lyrics steeped in feeling, the main melody twists with majestic melancholy while the disco-inflected beat shimmies. String hits add a symphonic quality and Kai Mammoser’ soulful vocal performance brings the song to a powerful and emotional close.

“I was a shadow on the pavement, talking loud but never seen,” the narrator confesses, explaining how every mirror was a stranger and each night was a repeated routine. When lights sliced through the silence and the song’s subject’s reflection caught his eye, “then the world was brighter and I knew the reason why.” 

Deep in despair, the storyteller had been lost, but the moment he saw the song’s subject he understood, “all my life I’ve waited here for you, in the silence, through the pain I knew,” waiting for “a moment brighter than the emptiness I knew.”

“I was a prisoner of my own mind, falling short of who I am,” he admits, describing streets as fading memories and each night as a broken plan. He concludes with the realization that “your eyes cut through the silence, like a memory I misplaced. Every step was moving nowhere till I saw your face.”

“Life on the Edge” has a portentous darkness that rises with vocal echoes and a growing sense of tension before crushing beats hammer as Elevate The Sky’s guitar tears jaggedly, contrasted with brass that creates blinding refusions. All of the tangled emotions are released in a rush of intense feeling from Kai Mammoser's undeniably engaging voice while the colossal underlayer pulsates. 

Reverberating into the vast openness of the background, Kai Mammoser's vocal performance slices with irresistible emotional depth, drawing me in deeply, before the battering foundation  drives forward. 

A saxophone rips like silk, embodying fierce feeling and defiance, while Elevate The Sky’s guitar captures unbounded passion with howling intricacy. Kai Mammoser has my full attention with his gripping expression while the saxophone trembles with hardly restrained sensations before the song comes to an end. 

"I'm tired of looking backwards at these ghosts I can't escape" and our storyteller wonders when he lost his faith. He adds that he has "been running from this moment but tonight I won't break" despite being "held beneath the tide" while hoping it isn't fate. As he walks on a tight rope, right to the end he realizes that "I'm living life on the edge" but he won't let it be the way his story ends.

"I wish that I could find some peace behind these eyes as the narrator seeks to leave behind the shadows of his former life. He vows that, "tonight I won't fall into silence like before, I'll stand where I once fell and ask for more."

Conclusion

Kai Mammoser has created another superb album that further cements his skill as a balladeer and creator of retrowave music with heart and soul. The combination of instrumental excellence, well-written songs and vocal performances that leave nothing on the table means that I’m compelled to listen to this album on repeat to get the most from it.