Iglooghost - Göd Grid
Neo Wax Bloom

 

Background:

Brainfeeder records have always been an amazing source of experimental and left-field music, and Iglooghost is no acceptation. Banking off of the current underground music trends of the last several years, and placing it not-so-neatly into a breakcore framework, Iglooghost has managed to carve out a niche and "bust off the grid" as he would put it.

Sonically expressive and diverse, Iglooghost blends elements of PC Music, vaporwave, chiptune, wonky, "made for kids" type music, and strangely packs them into an "EDM banger" type of sound. There are even times where i feel a bit of a nightcore vibe densely packed in the mix.

Neo Wax Bloom is Iglooghost's latest release, and in my opinion, is his strongest showing yet. Taking the harsh gritty and uneven style of his original works and reshaping them into a more accessible format makes this album much more enjoyable to me, and there is more room to appreciate the interesting timbre's he plays with throughout the songs. This is not meant for everyone, and the harshness may turn some people away, but for those who are capable of withstanding his unyielding onslaught of sound, I would say check it out. This concept should not work, but somehow Iglooghost is able to pull it off and present a cohesive and finely tuned beast. 

Review:

I'm not going to lie, there is something special and interesting about every track on this album, so I had a hard time making a choice of song for review. I could have picked one of his more known songs from here, including Bug Thief, Solar Blade, or Peanut Choker, but I found myself drifting towards the deeper cuts.

I ended up choosing Göd Grid, simply for the fact that it is the closer to the album, and I think the overlying message of Iglooghost's music is summed up in this track. The entirety of his music seems to be wanting to expand off of his grid, outside the realms of reality, which really helps the listener understand how we came to this album and sound.

As the track starts already there is more room and space present to allow the listener to really take in the textures and polished production of the instrumentals. There is a sweeping vocal melody throughout the track which takes manipulated vocal samples, pitched higher and lower, and orchestras them together into a cohesive "chorus", accompanied by an eastern influenced instrumental. As the track progresses it continues to branch further and further into a chaotic place. This track truly feels like the album has been building up to this point, and we are at the climax of the album, complete with cinematic and orchestral feeling. This song is much more enjoyable as an album closer rather than a standalone track, but is still capable of standing on its own.

Frustrated, angry, manic, and childish, are all words I would use to describe the feeling I experience from this music. I believe that IG feels this way due to his inability to expand into another plain of existence, which could be a metaphor for his life, and other peoples lives as well, who feel that they are stuck somewhere and there is no way out. Göd Grid seems like the perfect period to place on the proverbial sentence that Iglooghost presents. I will definitely be revisiting when my mood is right to share in Iglooghosts bizarre world.

-TruffleDino

Death's Dynamic Shroud.wmv - ✰Rare Emoji Collection✰
CLASSROOM SEXXTAPE (2016)

Backgroud:


If you have never heard of vaporwave then there is a good chance you may be completely confused and slightly perturbed right now. It may be safe to say that we should save an overarching "vaporwave" discussion for another day, although maybe some general information may be helpful for the uninitiated. I would recommend listening to some youtube vaporwave mixes to at least have an idea of what this genre is all about.

Death's Dynamic Shroud.wmv is one of those artists that only a true fan of vaporwave would recognize, unlike all of the albums that are repeated ad nauseam. For that reason I refuse to mention any of the 3-5 albums that are relevant to non-vaporwave enthusiast (as well as some vaporewave enthusiasts), as I find it tiring.
 
2016 was a very different time for vaporwave, as we saw the genre move towards a more experimental and aggressive route. On Death's Dynamic Shroud.wmv's previous album "I'll Try Living Like This" the current of vaporwave shifted and all of the horrible dark and disturbing influences of the genre began to show, as if the genre vomited all of the repressed anxiety it was holding, becoming more like a German Expressionism piece rather than what it stood for in 2011.


Review:

This is one of those rare instances where I would say to watch the music video as an accompaniment to this song, as it provides the perfect backdrop to accentuate the feelings present in the piece.


The building tension in this song goes on for an extended period of time, only to be met 2 minutes or so in by an even more tense and disturbing vocal sample, and a massive orchestral drop that makes your heart drop. The only sense of relief given throughout the tracks stands boldly all the way in to the 2:37 mark, as the listener is greeted by a digitized vocal melody that sits over the musical cacophony that has been building up throughout the track. As the track continues more melodic elements are introduced until the final closing of the track.

I would describe this era of dds.wmv music, and this track in particular, somewhere between a horror soundtrack, and an orchestra, while all the time maintaining a grandiose flair. This style of music is not for the faint of heart, or the uninitiated. Not easy to listen to or experience, but entirely worth the experience if you are prepared for it.


-TruffleDino