The layers of harmonic counterpoint, production polish, and textural depth take on additional meaning. 生津波 provided a creative outlet and target of focus for Misra during the writing process. Fortuitously, the finished product can provide the same benefits for us as listeners.
Accomplished, melody-centered electronica
A spiritual successor to GAIN, 生津波 finds Joseph Misra again channeling turmoil into polished works of sonic craftsmanship. These ten tracks present long-form ideas that extend Proswell’s melodic IDM/chiptune oeuvre with anime and video game references past the frenetic shifts of his early Merck releases or the more recent PAGARTAIS album on CPU Records.
The album’s title translates to “raw tsunami” in English, which is both a reference to the album’s release process and its lineage in Proswell’s catalog. The “raw” part is because the tracks were not professionally mastered and self-released via Bandcamp. But I’m hard-pressed to discern what would be improved by that process: even tracks like “PANTALAIMON” sparkle with its heavily-layered combination of overlapping synth lines and propulsive digital percussion. And the “tsunami” part, according to Misra, references his now-classic 2002 Konami album on Merck: “Konami” means “little wave” in Japanese, and “tsunami“, unsurprisingly, means “big wave“.
The Konami references go deeper than the title though, as any fans of early 90s arcade games like “Mystic Warrior” will recognize. When the lead synth in “PEN²” hits, you’ll be transported back to your days and quarters spent in the arcade. Similarly, “半獣 [HANJYUU]” layers Megadrive-era FM goodness with plucked harps and microscopically-precise snare rolls to provide a nostalgic, yet forward-facing journey.
I mentioned the tracks were channeled turmoil; Proswell said via email that this album emerged while he was hospitalized. “So I’d work on it all day until I gave them my laptop back and then fell asleep listening to it.” Absent that information, the songs are definitely enjoyable as accomplished, melody-centered electronica. But with that extra context in mind, the layers of harmonic counterpoint, production polish, and textural depth take on additional meaning. 生津波 provided a creative outlet and target of focus for Misra during the writing process. Fortuitously, the finished product can provide the same benefits for us as listeners.
生津波 is available on Bandcamp.
