Synth Single Review: “Riviera” by GammaFlow & Sandor Gavin

by Karl Magi

GammaFlow & Sandor Gavin’s “Riviera” creates a dazzling atmosphere, full of coruscating sounds which spill like opalescent silk from a synth ringing with chiming softness before the solid rhythm pulses like a heartbeat. Misty tones move behind the clean, metallic synth carrying a melody which conjures an image of gliding over clear water in Mediterranean warmth.

Each auditory element deepens the luxurious feeling which permeates this track. Tones like gentle breezes eddy around an effulgent note pattern that breathes with serenity and a feeling of release from stress, lifting me far above ordinary considerations.

Like a wash of effervescent champagne, sparkling sounds mix with the guitar as it drifts in a polished line, full of summer relaxation and the rhythm adds form. Piano-like notes with additional flickering brightness are curled around a synthesizer that moves with levitating lightness to transport the balmy melody before the track exhales to a close.

Synthpop Single Review: “Given You” by Liz Van Gretsch

by Karl Magi

Liz Van Gretsch’s “Given You” flows directly into life with her ardent vocals carrying a melody bursting with yearning and complex confusion as the thudding underpinnings shape the music’s motion. 

Tripping synth flickers with a crystalline sheen while the steady foundation throbs and Liz Van Gretsch pours out her soul, capturing the mixed hurt and passion in her lyrics. The underlayer moves with the undulating tones while the vocals climb with unbroken, blazing desire leavened by the reality of the situation. 

The guitar flashes and Peredur ap Gwynedd wraps the vocal performance in layers of power and glowing light as the pounding bass and sharp drums drive. Floating notes move with the gleaming guitar as the song moves to an end.

In spite of being everything she needs, the song’s subject is walking away and our storyteller pleads, "come here, don't be stupid and foolish, we are too in love for you to go." She's been listening to everything the other person has said and noticing their every touch.

Knowing that "I've given you all," the narrator adds that sometimes the song’s subject sees her staring back at them. She says, "you make it hard for me to breathe and I guess you feel it too." Throughout their relationship, she says that "I've tried my best to make sense of all this mess" and concludes, "I'm yours forever, never, never hide. "

Synth Single Review: “Too Late?” by Reeve Stimpson

by Karl Magi

Reeve Stimpson’s “Too Late?” slides into being with a devious guitar line, classic ‘80s percussion and glittering synth accents as the percussion bursts and the melody blossoms in Reeve Stimpson’s magnetic, lively voice. The chorus is instantly gripping and the charismatic vocals deliver strength and a classic 1980s sound, while the news anchor voices add a fun touch. 

Reeve Stimpson’s playful performance grabs hold of me with its addictive and classic sound while energizing percussion leaps. The sax flies out with incendiary dynamism, reedy and full of erupting feelings before the engaging vocals rip with real power. The sax crescendos, mingling with Reeve Stimpson belting out the lyrics before the song ends.

As he asks the song's subject, "Is he somebody passing you can't let go?" our narrator wonders if that other person might be "a stranger danger" and he’s got to know. He wonders if he's the one "playing the fool" because he knows that someone else has caught her eye. 

Our storyteller asks if it's too late and it's gone too far, wondering, "is he the one in your heart?" He questions if it's too late for them to "get back to us" and queries if the song's subject is already in love.

Wanting the song’s subject to "tell me when did it start and if it'll end" because he doesn't like the way she says the other person is a friend, our storyteller wonders if he’s crazy to overanalyze the situation or "is somebody else now getting your touch."

"Cover the lies, you're hiding the truth, deleting the words so there isn't much proof" but the narrator can still find the clues that the song's subject has left behind as he fervently hopes that their “bed’s not the scene of the crime."

Synth A/B Single Review: “Hope / Estel” by Nightflyer

by Karl Magi

“Hope” melts into a swirl of rose and powder blue tones that float with feelings of complete freedom and release, drifting widely into a space that is full of peaceful notes that wrap around me in one luscious motion. A steadying rhythm beats like a living pulse while even synth adds balancing guidance. The melody calls to mind floating in a cloudy space, carried on gentle breezes while a heartbeat throbs below.

Fluting tones tremble and fill me with a pleasing lassitude and peace as strings trickle like raindrops. In the distance, the percussion returns with the melody’s refracted light, bursting like sunbeams through mist, carrying me to the aspiration contained within the music. Notes like tranquil fog, slowly lifting from a beautiful landscape, glide as the flute-like instrument slips past in a flow that shines with morning light before closing. 

Rustling breezes move with rounded tones that spread outward in serene lines as “Estel”  exhales in one incredibly soothing motion, erasing any stress within my mind. A bed of bass creates a cushioning support for the hushed notes that breathe with complete serenity while fragile sounds trickle like lone raindrops. 

Long, brassy sweeps of sound gleam with awakening radiance as the background billows up in misty chords that fill me with total calm while a windy synth drifts. Meditative feelings permeate every element, blanketing me in a cloud of sweet emotion while delicate droplets sparkle. Emotion that moves between affection and contemplation slides out from the breathy tones that move with fullness above the deep well below and silence falls.