WARMER MIXTAPES #835 | by Martin Yang [Mirror Room/Perspective]
1. Submerse | Kerosene
Submerse is an Absolute Master at Blending Raw Recordings, Sampled Textures, and Choppy Melodics into a Delicious Conglomeration of Sparkling, Transient Hip-Hop that you can't help but move your head to. I’d almost want to become a DJ just to see the effect this track would have on a big crowd.
2. Bipolar Sunshine | Fire
I usually don't like Breakup Songs or Folktronica, but this song's Seamless, Thoughtful Blend of Raw Emotion and Straightforward, Clearheaded Restraint is really Stunning. I particularly like the Vocal Layering in the Chorus Section, which is done in a really Unique and Effective way.
3. Karma Kid | Lust, Love
Besides the Up-Front Sensuality and Subtle Dancability about this track, I absolutely Love the Sense of Atmospherics and Mood the Overall Sound has to it. Each Vocal Sample, Synth, and Drum comes together and paints a Surprisingly Vivid picture on the inside of my mind as I listen to it. It's an Unique Quality that I don’t really get with many other tracks.
4. Laurelle & Alexander | Moon Kids (Etherwood Remix)
Etherwood's Rework is really a Stunning piece of Work. I Love the Vocal Treatment, which is almost none - the Vocals are Natural and Clean and given Plenty of Room to Shine in the Mix, which unfortunately seems to have become an Uncommon Approach for Vocals in Electronic Music. The Production in the Instrumental doesn't fall short, either- the Deeply Attentive Details in the Melodic Work and Clear, Intelligent Drum work come together as a Dreamy Yet Starkly Clear Mood.
5. Owl City | Designer Skyline
Most of Owl City's older material shows that he’s capable of Significantly Better than his current output of Mediocre Radio-Played Music. This one in particular is an Exceedingly Powerful Display of Songwriting Brilliance and Technical Power. The Lyrics always struck me as really Imaginative and Well-Thought-Out. Who else has really written a song about Architects? It really tells a Great Story with itself, and the Chiptune-styled, Misty Sea of Playful Synths really helps Compliment the Vision presented by the Lyrics. It all comes across as a Crystal-Clear Vision of Innocence and Enthusiastic Wonder, two things we could probably use more of in Modern Music.
6. Bondax | Gold
I’ve liked this one since I heard it almost a year ago. Bondax’s rep for making Absurdly Danceable Music is upheld with this one - there’s an Unmistakable Groove that spans the entire piece. The Mixdown is Unique in a lot of ways - the Effect of the Swirling, Eclectic Synths Hovering over the Kick and Bassline is a really Cool Effect, and the Vocals Sound Perfectly In Place despite the Quasi-Hyperactive Sound. I like the Lyrics quite a bit somewhat in spite of myself. Particularly the line But Gold is not enough... To impress one like yourself really stands out. This piece really is a Gem from both a Technical and an Artistic Standpoint, which is rare enough in of itself.
7. Sorrow | My Love
I rarely like Piano used in Electronica, but it's never really been used quite this way before. The Up-Front, Central Role of the Piano Solo in this track is Daring, as it's all played Live and Recorded. Definitely not something I personally would have the Skill or the Patience to Try...
8. Gotye | State Of The Art
You can always count on Gotye to create Truly Inventive, Unique Music. The entire Making Mirrors album is full of stuff that Pushed the Envelope of What Has Been Done with Singer-Songwriter material, and State Of The Art is pretty close to the epitome of the Experimentation. The track’s Characteristic Bombardment of Transient Sounds coming In and Out of the piece really add Texture and Color in an Unconventional Way, and despite the numerous and often intentionally Clashing Layers of Vocals, Instruments, and Sound Effects, the Mix remains almost Impossibly Clean, Forward-Focused, and Grooving. It would have been so easy to get this wrong, and he didn't. (Also… As a Side Note, the Snare Drum in this track is pretty much unparalleled).
9. Koda | Video Games (Lana Del Rey Cover)
I've always preferred the Covers of this song to the Original for some reason... I’m always drawn to Covers in general anyway, because they give Another Singer Unique License to Re-Imagine the Work. Often, Lyrics Can Communicate a Completely Different Mood and Message through Another Singer’s Vocal Style. Koda's Ambient Style lends itself really well to this kind of work. The Distant, Processed Vocals and the Cover's Ambient Sensibility and Smoothened Attention to Detail stand out among the Countless Covers and Reworks of the song.
10. Stumbleine | Glacier (Starlit Everglades Remix)
This track is, to me, the epitome of the Electronic Glo-Fi Sound. The Hazy yet Present Quality of the Synths and the Distant Play of Reverb-Drenched Guitar are really the clichés of the Genre, but it's really the Sheer Power and Quality of the Mixdown that sets this particular track apart from much of the Glo-Fi sounds being made recently. It's all the Fundamentals of the Genre Fully Realized, and it Sounds Magnificent.
