(02.19.05) Fairly simple beats, though well programmed, take a back seat on most of the tracks on SubtractiveLAD’s Giving Up the Ghost. That means the part of the music I usually focus on is downplayed. In its place is the largess of layer upon layer of synthesizers – the depth and breadth of warm pads, lightly tapping arpeggios and leads that hit you smack in the face. There’s nothing new here, but the parts that we might have heard before equal a whole that stands out on its own.
These synths invoke their own place in time. The track “Remain Removed,” especially the second half, reminds me of Leftfield, with the depth that only analog circuitry (or at least emulated) can get. But the approach is more that of downtempo and IDM, with detailed hip-hop type beats and slight polyrhythm. What’s worth paying attention to here is how the synth lines weave in and out, and variations on texture and tone never end.
Which naturally leads to an emphasis on melody. Each note wanders, yet fits. The wind chime intro on “Nidus” is a great example. After minutes, it’s slowly followed by pads and textures, all of which eventually drops away to a clean beat and a single pad. It feels different, but it’s the same place, tonally. The beats build and we are wrapped in more percussion and more synths. And again. And again. And all the while we’re holding onto the same notes and all of it contributes to one persistent, shimmering pad in the background. When the wind chimes come back in, it’s no surprise and perfectly placed. The song structure is simple – it’s the melodies that take us from the beginning of the track to the end.
The best example of SubtractiveLAD’s sound on this album, I think, is “Neostasis.” Huge rolling tones that sweep around you, obscuring the
simplicity of the rhythm. A kick and a snare keep you moving, but the bass, pads and occasional burst of shorter notes are the song. It’s currently grey and snowing outside, and I could hardly imagine anything more appropriate. A little melancholy, a little uplifting, the thickness of the track is both a blanket of snow and a warm sweater.
Giving Up The Ghost is out now on n5MD.
