Artist: Cryo
Title: Retropia
Genre: Electronic
Release Date: 30th January 2014
Label: Progress Productions
Album Review
Since I happen to be a fan of the way the Scandinavian project CRYO shapes their sound, and surely dug, where the EP 'Beyond' was headed, I was eager to hear the extend of its echoes having found a way into the new release ‘Retropia’. Sure, I did not expect the sound to go backwards as it did when I gave the record a first spin. It is almost as listening through the debut album again. The poppy flourishes that covered most of 'Hidden Aggression' have nearly vanished. It is rather about creating actual atmospheres than catchy melodies, even though those are still inevitably popping up along the way. So 'In Your Eyes' takes a nose-dive into ambient, building rhythmic foundations from it in the following to decay and re-surface in a blink. 'Believer' is as raw you have probably not heard it from CRYO recently. The coat of dirt covering the composition is omnipresent and palpable. It never does make any attempt to give you anything like a convenient listen. The atmosphere is tense, filled with a brooding menace. Well, yeah the order of the tracks on the album now is making a classical shift with 'The Portal' becoming a sombre, haunting pearl of synthetic pop music.
'I Use You' on the other hand delves deep into the inner world; decelerates the previously gained momentum to a point where it is merely a creeping remainder of itself. Little melody is found in its spheres. When it appears, it is usually mutilated by bursts of noise. If you remember the 'Beyond' record, the next thing is something in the vein of 'Escape Velocity', pumping forward relentlessly, noisy from front to back and pulsating like a heartbeat. The album closes with the three-song cycle 'So Close', which all are treading different waters. Where the first chapter presents autumnal textures on top of a soft beat, the second strips it all in favour of a purely ambient showcase; and lastly the clubby ending ceremony with mechanical precision in part three. So I was more than just positively surprised by the direction 'Retropia' took and can only recommend to give it a try if you're into the old-school electronics and good vocals.
Tracklist
01. In Your Eyes
02. Believer
03. The Portal
04. Common Man
05. I Use You
06. Too Much
07. Shelter
08. Yesterday
09. So Close Pt. 1
10. So Close Pt. 2
11. So Close Pt. 3
Line-up
Martin Rudefelt
Torny Gottberg
Website
http://www.cryodome.com
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 8
Sound: 8
Extras: --
Total: 8 / 10
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