Sunset Cassette - the mirror and the veil (Deluxe Edition)

Review by Karl Magi

Overall Album Impressions

Sunset Cassette '87’s “The mirror and the veil” possesses a mysterious, otherworldly quality that captures both spirituality and serenity within its finely crafted sonic signature. Sunset Cassette '87 mixes fascinating soundscapes with melodies that are heartbreaking and noble to convey the world’s wonder and mystery. While there is a depth to the music, it remains calming and deeply peaceful as it journeys through realms of spirit and meditation.

In terms of synth sounds, “The mirror and the veil” has an intriguing and ethereal quality that keeps me close to the music. Sunset Cassette '87 reveals layers of sonic depth through tones, timbres and textures that capture everything from vastness to intimate gentleness as they unfold. He has crafted each track to fully explore a different mood and aspect of philosophy, spirituality or emotion by ensuring that each synth tone chosen suits the music well.

All of the melodies that Sunset Cassette '87 has composed for “The mirror and the veil” capture the contemplation that suffuses his music. There are moments of staggering loveliness along with pain and a sense of unending peace as the album unfolds. I enjoy the exploration of emotion and contemplation of the philosophical and worshipful underpinnings of the music.

The feeling of “The mirror and the veil” is something that also pulls me into it. There's a powerful sense of the majesty and enigma of existence which permeates the music. The way in which the artist examines his spirituality and approach to the world allows the album to breathe with a sense of personal contemplation and feelings of awe and wonder at the breathtaking nature of this incredible universe.

My Favourite Tracks Analyzed

“A time for everything” has an ominous undertone and a massive sweep as far off notes roam like solar wind and reverberating percussion joins scudding weight to create motive shape. Actively shifting percussive elements mingle with arcing arpeggios, exuding astral brightness out into the void while jangling chimes create a veil of cosmic iridescence.

The underlayer pours shadow while delicate high notes call to mind the distant shine of galactic bodies. All the drum beats cascade while brilliant notes float like a thousand shining stars and widely rippling sounds add tension to the sonic layers.

Feelings of disconnection and change permeate tumbling notes. As the quickly leaping melody spills out a starry sheen, I find myself transmitted to a realm of complexity and uncertainty, moving on the unsettled sonic pulses while refulgence slowly fades into silence.

A subtly swelling sound becomes more forceful as “Through a glass darkly” rises into existence with fragile undertones and thick weight that forms a rich backdrop to the trembling notes that tentatively creep before the stronger rhythm gains motion. Tones with broad sonic signatures and radiant luminosity transmit a melody evocative of peace and calm and contrasts with the powerful throb below.

Muffled notes wander with tender touches and gain energy to pour out luscious brilliance and waft me along on a melodic line that is uplifting yet tinged with sorrow. The beat is unwavering and propulsive while the notes like pink dawn float in an extended line.

Drums fade and the main melody infuses the music with refinement as rounded sounds give depth and sensations of intense ease. After an explosive drum flourish, the beat moves like a metronome as feathery notes call to mind nostalgic dreams before silence falls.

“Interdimensional” is introduced by luminous tones flashing in short bursts, over an echoing background before the quickly skipping drums shape the music and the base creates a powerful underlayer. A synth accelerates with intergalactic speed and flies out over the rapidly rushing underpinnings with a melody that inspires a sense of escape, surging with electrifying energy.

Shining sounds fly like stars blurring as a spaceship jumps to warp speed. A background swirl wraps everything in peace while the quick, trumpeting tones erupt and the gruff foundation ticks to add form. As the varied percussion pops, hollow sounding chimes evoke a thousand distant galaxies, racing past with a feeling of unbridled freedom and uplift.

Open sounds join together in an ear-catching circular pattern while the tender percussive pulse adds balance and the whole track slips forward. Diamonds of synth fly as the background creates a restrained motion and bursts of fiery notes shimmer before the track fades away.

A smoothly undulating pulse creates vaguely portentous sounds in contrast to the wonderfully Airy notes that glimmer as “While we were young” dances into existence with propulsive beats and a welcome sense of unburdening.

Exhalations in the background fill the atmosphere with pillows of round sound as the crystalline notes create joyful exuberance. The rhythm is endlessly moving forward as sparkling strings and fragile refractions generate young energy and carefree happiness while a voice calls out in the background, exuding warmth.

Skipping with unrestrained positivity, the dynamic note pattern sings with flaring phosphorescence and the percussion reverberates in widening waves. I travel through this realm with a childlike wonder and nostalgic memory, carried along by the diamond bright sounds before things end.

“The narrow gate” expands outward with a smooth, muscled drum line and solid underpinnings that growl with dominant weight to create a feeling of growing tension which is broken by a weightless melody drifting peacefully through the air that soothes me.

As the underlayer locks into an even, balanced pulsation the melodic line is transmitted on glittering notes that bloom with tenderness, touching me with gentling sensations. After a brief pause, notes glide like mist broken by the dawn, trailing out while an Illuminating synth flares with diffuse impressions.

A sense of passing into a realm of unending calm permeates the track, calling to mind experiences full of tenderness and an escape from the world's darkness. An arpeggio twirls as sparkling notes flare with incandescence through the other sonic layers before the track comes to an end.

I

n a reflection of cosmic peace “Alrisha” begins as hushed notes grow with tentative, shivering motion and the drums add a powerful backbeat to the sweeping bass. The main melody is mellow and sparkles with distant radiance while a heavy underlayer guides the track forward. Cosmically drifting tones shine like stars in a black firmament while the underpinnings give the track galactic weight.

Tiny tones flicker and vibrate with wandering motion, giving the impression of a vast field of small lights in an ebony sky. I can feel myself let go of the world and move among the stars, free and clear of the darkness. An elevated synth extends with astral luminance that floats with gently touching emotion while the drum beat contributes strength.

As the beat drops away, a far-off cosmic flicker glides before the rhythm returns to add forward motion. A synth twinkles like stars on the horizon, shining more brightly as night’s curtain falls and the track breathes to an end.

“Alpha and Omega” springs to life as thrilling brilliance spills in a tide of sound while a steady underlayer adds a heartbeat as a sharper edged melody captures a delicate web of feeling. The bass and drums have a solidity and weight that balances the filmy higher notes while the melody fills me with a sense of rising consciousness.

Pipe-like notes evoke angelic choirs as the trickling tones levitate easily and the shaping rhythm returns. A saxophone flies into the music with jazzy dynamism and heartfelt emotion tinged with passionate expression. An interlocking pattern between the saxophone and the percussion pulls me into a hypnotic groove, while the saxophone is woven into a soundscape that erupts with fiery vitality before silence falls.

As a synth tumbles in a smoothly breathy line which creates contemplative flow, “Sunset Overdrive” cascades into being as a bass pulsation moves out into open space and a melody with the quality of a computerized trumpet carries feelings of barely contained excitement and readiness for adventure.

As the drum beat presses onward, the trumpet transmits sensations of a barely resistible compulsion and a distinct thrill along with dramatic danger moving out below it. percussion keeps the urgency ramped up while the ringing notes carry with them possibility and a chance for a night drive. Nervous tones revolve to keep the tension ramped up while the trumpeting synth embroiders the music with fiery light.

The underlayer forces forward while the brilliant tones cry out with anticipation and growing dynamism before full sounding notes contribute a feeling of filigreed complexity. The darker synth gives a hint of lurking danger while the shimmering tones burst out and the relentless underpinnings charged on. tension trembles while the trumpet glimmers and the track comes to an end.

“The Great Commission” expands with increasing burnished brightness and intense peace, as an arpeggio continually reverberates into vast openness while tremulous notes glide and chords climb softly as giant notes slip.

A loping drum beat guides the broad field of tones that spill out like clouds through mountains. Growing illumination and enlightenment infuses the synth above the massively driving beats.

Arpeggiation creates hypnotic states as the background flows with a burnished fluorescence. A mixture of thrill and awe grasps me as the track slides before the huge percussion creates a trance. Blinding incandescence pours from the high notes, evoking eternal power, while the expansive sonic field is scattered with needle-sharp glimmers before silence falls.

With a velvety undulation, “Gone to prepare a place” slides like a soothing bank of pink clouds that bubble up around a scene of natural beauty and the lightly tapping drums form guidance while the trembling synth hints at great strength. The beat rattles into a steady flow while a note pattern carries a feeling of release and hopeful intention, transmitting all of its wonderful promise and soothing feelings into me.

Piano-like notes float past with purity and purpose, capturing scenes of a world beyond this world to which we can escape. A contrasting sharp sound balances the full immersion into unbounded peace as the far off sounds tumble and slow motion. I am carried now in an atmosphere of cradling feelings that wraps me in complete serenity, propelled by the pulsing heartbeat of the music.

Conclusion

“The mirror and the veil” is a spiritual journey and a soothing companion for meditation and relaxation. Sunset Cassette '87 has woven a tapestry that brings in threads of peace, deep thought and worshipful emotion to continue carrying me along.

Synth Single Review: “Out Of Touch” by Future Analog & Saturday AM

by Karl Magi

Future Analog & Saturday AM’s “Out Of Touch” washes into shadow and ominous hints before a blinding synth explodes and Aaron Boyd conveys broken love and agonizing loss in his haunting voice. Future Analog infuses the track with brooding darkness to deepen its impact.

Percussion collides with massive force beneath metallic hammering that floats in the distance as the main melody echoes with crushing strength before Aaron Boyd exhales with an aching need that closes around my heart.

Majesty fills the main melody as mechanical noises create ghostly feelings in the background while a disembodied voice hovers. Drums fade as blinding notes cut through and the entire track accelerates and the lead synth cries out. Aaron Boyd conveys an upwelling of hurt while the track becomes fragile and closes.

Feeling as if he's "coming undone, all alone in the dark" the narrator muses that he's not quite himself lately. He reminds the song’s subject that "you left me with nothing but these scars" despite being the brightest thing and the best of him. He asks the other person to "tell me that you felt it too" because they've gotten out of touch. He misses "the glow of your love. "

"If you get my message and you're awake," our storyteller asks the song’s subject to try him and take what they need, "take everything from me, just don't say goodbye." Pleading with the other person to go slowly but not to go, he concludes "you could’ve been the brightest thing, you could’ve been the best of me. tell me that you felt it too cuz I'm out of touch with you."

Synth Single Review: “Astroloop” by Aeronexus & Beckett

by Karl Magi

Aeronexus & Beckett’s “Astroloop” begins with bright lights floating off into space before the drum beat towers and strings carry a melody which breaks with hurt and growing loss. Beckett's talkbox creates a robotic impression, somehow deepening the emotional weight of the words, despite its artificial quality.

In the distance, a synth glistens with planetary brilliance, while the talkbox vocals generate more disconnection, as strings touch the music with wistful tones. A synth solo moves with expressive iridescence before Beckett’s soulful performance grasps me and the robotic chorus intertwines with more human vocals. As the strings levitate and suffuse the music with a supernova light, the words float into thoughtful silence.

As our storyteller is trapped in a loop without the song's subject, he feels his life is pointless and the world weighs on him in his loneliness. He tries to "justify the times, the lies" as he feels trapped, unable to stop thinking because he wants the other person back. He says "I'm in the void, I stare and I cry from beyond the black" but he can't escape the loop because it is "the astrometric of time itself."

Falling like debris, the narrator is "floating so peacefully and aimlessly away" as he takes a one-way trip to the closest star. He's "stuck in an astroloop" as he seems unable to get anywhere. He refers to the song’s subject as "my tracking beacon, trying to bring me home." He adds that the retros are offline and he has to face the situation alone.

To conclude, our storyteller delivers a monologue, saying, "computer’s down, wiring’s shot, retros are offline. I can't stop thinking about you as I head into the singularity. I just hope that maybe there's a chance, maybe there's a chance that you and I are together on the other side."

Synth Single Review: “Tapeheads Unite” by Louvers

by Karl Magi

Louvers’ “Tapeheads Unite” rises to life with encouragement and neon illumination while the drums collide and the bass pushes forward. The lead singer captures the exuberance of the lyrics while tones burst out with positivity and light the whole track with thrilling brilliance.

Anticipation and celebration flow out to grasp me while tiny digital tones flicker like LEDs and trembling notes shine with uplifting energy. Warming, nostalgic chords Infuse the music with happiness and enthusiasm.

The percussion explodes while the guitar shines with dreamy radiance and the lead singer touches me with unbridled joy. The continually slipping background is cut by clean drums rebounding before the song ends.

While others dismiss them as crazy, the tape heads spend hours "baking all day until the screen lights up" and fill their time with VHS tapes and friendship. The song calls for like-minded people to unite and celebrate VHS forever in July where they meet under Pennsylvania skies.

Asking one another where they came from and if they found anything cool, the tape heads would reject you if you said VHS is dead. They spent time camping or staying in a hotel with a pool and the narrator concludes, "Ten years down the road, when I’m lost and getting old, (I’ll) remember this time and place when we brought back yesterday."