Synthetic Dream Foundation, The - Mechanical Serpent

Title: Mechanical Serpent
Artist: The Synthetic Dream Foundation
Genre: Crossover / Psy-trance / Symphonic
Release: 1st March 2010
Label: Mythical Records



Album Review

THE SYNTHETIC DREAM FOUNDATION is a music / art project of Brett Branning based in Tampa, Florida. Besides several remixes and appearances on various compilations, the project has previously released three albums. On the newest album, 'Mechanical Serpent', THE SYNTHETIC DREAM FOUNDATION (TSDR) continues to combine Psy-trance with strong influences from e.g. classical music, ambient and dark electro.

The album is opened with calm, lamenting 'Glittered ripples from the depths', which successfully combines Marcela Bovio's enchanting vocals with electronic rhythms, rising great expectations for the rest of the album. It is followed by more energetic up-tempo tracks 'Invoking the beast', and a heavily Psy-trance influenced remix of previously released 'Auf dem See' that unfortunately do not deliver as well. The album is continued by more mellow tracks, 'On whom the dreadful claw', 'The one eyed maiden' and 'The spectre's masquerade' featuring Susan Siren (whose performance can indeed be described as siren). A remix of previously released 'Puzzlebox' is probably the most appealing track on the album, smoothly combining trance sounds with Tamara Kent's varied, at times heavily processed vocals that are reminiscent the ones of Collide. The last two tracks are again more upbeat and represent more traditional Psy-trance than crossover.

Unlike many albums in the dark electronic genre, 'Mechanical Serpent' is anything but monotonous or boring. Using choir arrangements, several vocalists and vocal styles that vary from classical to modern, digitally processed adds interest and variety. Also the composition and instrumentation varies from Psy-trance to richly orchestrated. Branning has previously composed film music and some tracks on the album indeed evoke a feeling they could be from a soundtrack of a fantasy movie. In some cases, though, soundtrack-likeness also manifests itself as certain stagnancy and lack of structure. The greatest strength of TSDR is its creative mixture of various influences.

At times, this also turns out to be the biggest weakness: While certain tracks work great, the album as a whole is a bit straggly. Furthermore, Branning seems to have hard time mixing all the different styles and sounds coherently together. Slow and mid-tempo tracks such as 'Glittered ripples from the depths' and 'Puzzlebox' seem to work better in this respect. In any case, 'Mechanical Serpent' is an interesting project and stands up from the crowd in both sound and composition.


Tracklist

01. Glittered Ripples from the depths (w/ Marcela Bovio) - 4:42
02. Invoking the beast - 2:47
04. On whom the dreadful claw - 5:15
05. The spectre's masquerade (w/ Susan Siren) - 5:38
06. The one eyed maiden - 4:26
07. Puzzlebox (Mechanism mix) (w/ Tamara Kent) - 5:51
08. Ascent to heaven's eye - 4:37
09. A silvered freeze - 5:38


Line-Up

Brett Branning


Website

http://www.myspace.com/thesyntheticdreamfoundation


Cover Picture




Rating

Music: 7
Sound: 9
Extras: -
Total: 8 / 10


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