Even if the album as a whole isn’t trying to make all of these different styles work together, RamonPang seems to be able to achieve something interesting with all of them, as despite some harsh contrasts in the tracklist, all the tracks eventually manage to pull me in and make me accustomed to their new sound.
Colorful and eclectic IDM tunes
Life Cycle Waves is a great dive into really colorful and eclectic IDM tunes. What this album can really brag about is its versatility, as RamonPang manages to pull off various styles of electronic music effortlessly, sneaking in various trap beats, hip-hop inspired percussion and of course more intricate IDM drum fests. Even if the album as a whole isn’t trying to make all of these different styles work together, RamonPang seems to be able to achieve something interesting with all of them, as despite some harsh contrasts in the tracklist, all the tracks eventually manage to pull me in and make me accustomed to their new sound.
There are, of course, reoccurring elements as well, one of my favorites being all the inclusions of new age inspired instrumentation; there’s various times where steel drums and string instruments in the lines of kotos pop up; these give a really unique feel to this LP, all of a sudden the really tight beats and basslines become really pretty and atmospheric instead.
Another great element to this album is its great synth sound, I really really love how smooth these synths are; I do not like them simply because they make some really slick leads or riffs, they actually don’t do that at all, as instead they’re used much more for ambience. And speaking of that, the openness that this album achieves occasionally is seriously great, not only does it sound really good as I said, it’s also always meticulously placed, as you may get some ambient interludes just when the track was starting to get a bit repetitive or as some sudden contrasts. Ambient synths also sneak their way into the more intense portions, but they’re kept at a minimum there in order to work as pleasant added layers instead of cluttering the mix.
The album opens up with just about everything I described, as “Run Algae” bursts with plenty of colorful arrangements. I especially like the way the track begins, with this melody being repeated after periods of silence to suggest that it’s about to make an actual entrance; turns out that’s exactly what it does, suddenly becoming less muffled, and alongside it trap hi-hats, claps and kicks join in to really get thins going. Even if the beat doesn’t really complement the lead melody that well, the track is still super enjoyable, mainly thanks to how great said lead melody sounds, it’s got such a bright tone that it really makes it a strong way to open up the LP. Not to mention the track goes into one of those ambient interludes I talked about earlier, it being a bit of a callback to the very beginning, which sounded like it was taking place underwater; it’s a pleasant passage that is also rather fitting for that reason.
“Daze” and “A Vast Expanse” follow, this time being some proper dance tunes thanks to their prominent grooves. Of the two I prefer “A Vast Expanse,” mainly thanks to its great bassline, which is so tight yet so smooth at the same time. The use of ambient and new age elements is also far better here than it was in the two previous tracks, as they actually fit in seamlessly with that intense bassline, as the way they’re constantly being layered really helps establish the idea that, as strong as it may be, the bassline is just there to provide support to the beautiful textures that fill up the track. The use of steel drums and clickier, more organic sounding percussion, is also an odd yet great pairing with the main groove, as they’re just as fast paced to match its intensity. All of these components get reshuffled throughout, as just taking away and adding back in is enough to always maintain the energy.
The first real treat comes with “Nothing to Figure Out” ::
As good as this first batch of tracks may be, the first real treat comes with “Nothing to Figure Out.” This is an absolutely fantastic tune through and through, and it is not solely because of its major parts being so great, rather it’s because they all work so well as a whole. It opens up with an ambient portion, which is far less pretty than all the ones you’ve been exposed to so far; it’s rather cold and sparse, lacking all the color and variety of previous ambient segments, and yet it’s also better than most. The use of various registers is what makes this part so great, as the really sharp chimes that occasionally ring are always paired with some deeper synths. Aside from the various echoes and field recordings, the minimalism of the metallic chimes also helps establish a feel of unease.
This whole ambient part goes on as “Nothing to Figure Out” introduces its beat, which is really fast and bold, every snare accent here makes sure it is heard; this beat also manages to not break the initial atmosphere by suddenly stopping in these unnerving breaks, and to that add the fact that they’re completely detached from the ambience underneath. You’d really expect one of those chilling chimes to click right as the beat stops, but no, not at all, it’s as if both parts were just going on their own, enhancing even more the feel of vagueness and uncertainty.
This first pairing of ambience and intense drill and bass beats is my favorite part of this tune, it’s two unsettling pieces playing at once and both are just as great; the track doesn’t revolve around that entirely of course, it also adds some actually pleasant pianos and flutes to fill up the mix. I absolutely love how the longer it goes the more instruments get introduced, not just because more is better, but rather because the beat also stops stuttering with its abrupt pauses to get really really tight, matching the climactic direction the tune is headed into, yet never really exploding in some unnecessarily out of proportion barrage of layers.
The second half of the album is also total killer, minus the somewhat dry and really unfitting “Waves Crashing”—though it’s still a good piece by itself. “Be With Me” is what I’d deem to be the most beautiful track, its blend of acoustic guitars and pianos alone is enough to warrant it that title, but to that add the really warm and fat bass and kicks and you get something really comforting indeed. Particularly noteworthy is how the track strips down around its halfway point, so much so that it almost sounds like a fake ending, also thanks to the brief silence it leaves after this more textured part; the track does explode right back up though, and with how colorful and beautiful its arrangement is, making it all come back at once is a fantastic way to immediately bring you back to the full and satisfying sound that had been established in the first minutes.
“Third Freeze” is also a big highlight, it’s rather similar to “A Vast Expanse,” but it is even better; I absolutely love the variations of the bass line, it’s not one rigid groove this time around as it’s not really trying to set a sense or urgency, and the atmospheric synths may be my favorite on the record, mainly because this cut is a bit more minimalistic than others so it leaves more room for them to shine. After a couple minutes the track starts building, and reaches pretty fulfilling highs thanks to its use of peculiar synth textures, which are far brighter and sharper than the ambience underneath. You even get a full on climax here, as the last minute or so is taken up by a fiery guitar, not necessarily a breathtaking solo but it does close out the track with its most energetic and textured part.
Even the quick two minute “Smooth” is a highlight, having some really—well—smooth development and some lush textures that fit perfectly on its laid back and mellow beat, probably a call to some Japanese lo-fi hip hop.
All in all, Life Cycle Waves is quite a success. Even though I think it can feel a little sloppy, the tracks are just so great that they manage to work either way; to be honest, I don’t think that this is trying to be a one-listening-session album either way, so it’s also a good thing that its cuts are so good that they just hit. The second half is especially lovely, boasting a series of great cuts one right after another, but the real gem of this LP remains “Nothing to Figure Out,” an incredibly immersive track that interlocks all of its components masterfully.
Life Cycle Waves is available on The Tabula Rasa Record Company. [Bandcamp]
