Synth Single Review: “Kids (MGMT cover)” by Tommy Countach

by Karl Magi

Tommy Countach’s “Kids (MGMT cover)” echoes with an unmistakable melody, transmitted on burnished synth which expands in clouds before the rushing foundations join glittering chimes and solid bass strength. Exuberance and vitality flow from the melody before Tommy Countach’s haunting and airy voice carries a complex mixture of emotions while the angular underlayer cuts cleanly.

The chorus is accompanied by silvery chimes and richly round notes calling out with a halo of feeling. The percussion rushes as jumping tones slash in clean motion and bass throbs beneath Tommy Countach’s undeniably affecting vocals. The jittery, electric energy of the song trembles while the vocals climb and the synth’s broad gleam suffuses the music with light.

A synth solo swirls and flies wildly, bending with vitality above the steady pounding supporting it. Tommy Countach’s voice drifts with a distinctive expression which I find enjoyable as rounded tones exude flickering light and a choppy sound in the distance carries the track to a conclusion.

The song reflects on childhood, growing up and the loss of innocence. At the start, a curious child explores the world while learning self control and how to accept consequences. As the song progresses, the imagery becomes more unsettling, touching on birth, fading memories, difficult decisions and the pain and uncertainty of growing up.

Synth Single Review: “Back” by Anniee

by Karl Magi

Anniee’s “Back” reverberates with her voice melting above a steadily driving dance beat before the full strength of her resonant performance echoes with ardent memories of ferocious attraction as the beat accelerates while strings sing. Pizzicato violins trickle like raindrops while the exhaled vocals gleam as though caught in post storm sunlight and the drum beat pounds like a passionate heart.

Strings dance and shimmer while Anniee blends effortless smoothness with undeniable need. Her voice echoes briefly into wind and the skipping beat intermingles with violins which create glowing embers before the vocals chant and drift, gripping me and pulling me closer to the music before silence falls.

Back when the other person loved our storyteller, she said she was "steppin’ in sunshine, dancin’ in rain, touchin’ the moonlight, goin’ insane.” She wonders where all of the real madness went and why it left. She concludes, “what would I give to go back when you loved me.”

Synth Single Review: “Metaphysical” by GRAEDA

by Karl Magi

GRAEDA’s “Metaphysical” moves like the signal of a tremulous pulsar on the edge of thought with a steady motion with a metronomic tick before the gargantuan rhythm throbs with a rough tinge and astral notes flicker like distant cosmic structures, drifting through thought and out into endless space.

Another layer of drums shapes the flares of light that glisten in a distant net of stars, expanding like gas clouds around nebulae. My body lets go of my mind and it floats off while the metallic sounds trickle past, like a distant planet lit by an alien sun. Notes break free and drift out into vastness, evoking meteors drifting out into the universe.

Sounds call to mind the beauty of the galaxy as it extends spiral arms in clouds of dust and gas, trailing out into a blackness so deep that one could dissolve in it. Flowing notes shiver and the track draws to a close.

Synth Single Review: “Voices Carry (‘Til Tuesday cover)” by All The Damn Vampires & Mint Simon

by Karl Magi

All The Damn Vampires & Mint Simon’s “Voices Carry (‘Til Tuesday cover)” begins with Davey Oberlin’s guitar throbbing and wide spectrum drums wrapping around a synth exuding intense brightness. Mint Simon’s charismatic voice is full of ache and oppression, hinting at darker threads in the relationship. Their voice slices to my core and I find their ability to get into the song’s emotional depth compelling.

Davey Oberlin’s charging guitar and a synth which tumbles with broken shards support the vocals as they climb to the sky, capturing all of the challenge and suppression within the lyrics. Mint Simon delivers a performance which stabs my heart, their voice delivering unadulterated feeling. The sweeping synth glows with incandescent beauty and the guitar snarls while the vocal performance is ablaze with intense power, delivering all the emotional punch of the song.

The narrator feels silenced and suppressed by their partner, who discourages them from expressing their true feelings. Although they crave intimacy and connection, they feel unable to be vulnerable, leaving them frustrated, uncertain and trapped by their partner’s demands for silence.