Besides being one half of the synth-rock band Zombi (with A.E. Paterra) for several years, Steve Moore has released a number of solo albums of fine electronic music. Below, we look at his latest solo effort...
STEVE MOORE Light Echoes (CD on Cuneiform Records)
This CD from 2013 features 70 minutes of spacey electronic music.
Rich electronics speak with a commanding authority as they create tuneage that blends spaciness with a vibrant sense of fluid melody.
Track one opens with an electronic growl, leading into a twinkling interstellar void seasoned with bouncy keyboards that generate a substantial lead for dreamy textures that waft through the mix. A series of remote effects tease the song's periphery with their haunting influence.
Sparkling pulsations guide the next piece through a vista alive with sprightly tonalities, while deep bass thrums churn in the distance. Until a lead riff emerges, sweetly shrill and highly enticing, to goad the tune into a posture of stately puissance. The latter mode is enhanced by the cadence of charged electronics that provide a bristling tempo.
Track three adopts a moodier character. Dense oscillations wind their way through a stellar wind until a snarling riff takes command and looms into supremacy...only to give rise to a competing regal electronic resonance. Instead of dueling, these riffs conspire to achieve a brooding attitude that seethes with cosmic elegance.
Track four takes a sterner look at photonic activity, translating light into a series of agile keyboard patterns that gracefully intertwine to form a tapestry of delightful charm. Piercing electronic pitches enhance the mesh to sinuous undulations which ultimately bestow the ascending flow with a stately majesty. Even the pitches are boosted to a level of incarnate intensity, resulting in a crescendo of dazzling beauty.
Track five perpetuates this glittering sound with twinkling notes that fill the sky with their brilliant glow. An earthy riff acts as a counterpoint, grounding the melody as it expands into a display of mesmerizing luster. Vibrant interplay swells until the cloudbank throbs with euphoric resonance.
The last composition is the album's epic (at 28 minutes), and offers a plethora of passages that evolve into a diverse selection of cosmic tuneage. Sharp keyboard notes punctuate sweeping chords with rewarding consequences. The tune moves through a progression of stages in which structures are established, allowed to run their course, eventually mutating into different constructions. This evolutionary process continues, each subsequent flow emerging from its predecessor like a bright phoenix surging forth from resplendent vistas to flourish with their own breathtaking grace. Nimble-fingered keys provide tantalizing verve to the ongoing sonic seduction. The piece culminates with a grandiose increase of intensity as snarling pulsations swamp the serpentine cycles, then ebb to allow a finale of cerebral gentility to ensue.
This album delivers a wonderful dose of masterful tuneage. While lacking in percussive beats, a rhythmic presence is achieved through the strident delivery of notes whose cycles generate tempos amid a vortex of sparkling electronics. Engaging and enticing, the music exudes a potent vitality without ever stooping to hyperactivity.
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