CD Review: Geyser - Fifth

by Lydia Takemoto
May 12, 2012

Fifth
Geyser (Riad Michael)
Release Date: 09/06/2011
Label: Geyser Recordings
©2011 Geyser Recordings

It's been a long time coming, but I've finally gotten around to a review of Fifth, by Geyser (Riad Michael). Riad has been generous enough to provide me with a digital copy of the album for listening,  and so here goes!

Unlike Atmosphere, which I reviewed last year, Fifth crosses over to the ethereal side of the melodic spectrum and exhibits more of Geyser's flare for the experimental. The tracks feature less "analog" instrumentation than Atmosphere, and more synthesizer - making Fifth in many ways truer to Geyser's usual style. But comparisons aside, this album features brilliant sounds, which carry with them a touch of relaxing ("therapeutic," if you will) energy.

One particular quality of Fifth which is worth mentioning off the bat is that the best feature of album lies not in any one particular track, but rather the way in which the songs themselves are arranged. I'm not sure if they were composed deliberately to flow so well together or if they were created one-by-one and then carefully sequenced, but either way Geyser did an excellent job of developing an album that functions as a whole and exceeds the sum of its parts. The album kicks off with the dreamy "Play," and then works its way up and down akin to a story line's rise in action until "Closer" - the sixth and most obviously upbeat of the nine tracks - which is then reigned in by what can be best described as a tranquil suspense in track 7, "Apollo." From there the triumphant and joyful sounds of "Serpent" kick in, just before we get to chill out for the denouement in the final track "Chill."

In summary, if you're interested in investing in Fifth (available in digital format only, by the way), I highly recommend avoiding the temptation to download individual tracks and just go for the whole thing. It's best enjoyed in its entirety and its original order, so be sure to keep the shuffle setting on your device turned off to get the most of it.

Listen to Fifth:

Fifth is available on Amazon, iTunes, and a variety of other online distribution channels around the web.

All I want for Christmas...

(by Massa Takemoto, intro by Lydia Takemoto)

Looking to pick up something special for that special someone at the last moment? Or want a few ideas for treating yourself this Christmas?

Finding a great gift for a music lover with a taste for the non-mainstream is never an easy task... And being married to a musician, I know this better than anyone. So to help me out this year, Massa has put together a list of five CDs he'd like to find stuffed in his stocking on the morning of December 25th, complete with his own mini-reviews highlighting what makes them so awesome. If he's lucky (and stays on good behavior), "Santa" just might bring him more than one.

-Lydia

"Dear Santa"

The problem is a lot of the albums I want are only available in MP3 format, and that makes it hard to choose the CDs I want. Also, I prefer to have a variety of albums from different genres, and to keep things new, ones by artists who aren't too big.

But in the end, it's down to these five.

Choice 1 
My Hidden Playground
by Mollono Bass
Label: Acker
Genre: Techno / Minimal House / Tech House

Usually, when I'm looking into this category, I can only find stuff that is either too catchy or too minimal. That's not really what I am looking for. I want something interesting. something innovative and stylish. I think this one's got the best of both worlds. Each track has influences from other genres and they're simple, yet each has a distinctive touch so you can recognize the track.

Choice 2
New Moon
by Almunia
Label: Claremont 56
Genre: Disco, Balearic

This is a very interesting album. Most of the elements are very organic with familiar elements: guitar riffs... the texture of the drum sounds, etc... However, the way this guy puts things together is very cool and very new. I absolutely love this album.




Choice 3
Medicine Show No. 7: High Jazz (Yesterday's New Quintet)
by Madlib
Label: Madlib Medicine Show
Genre: Electronic Jazz

Well, this guy's been around for long that I don't really need to say much about him, but I really like the texture of this album. It somehow reminds me of "On the Corner" and "Bitches Brew" by Miles Davis, but with a modern touch.




Choice 4
Luminal Remastered
by Sounds from the Ground
Label: Upstream Records
Genre: Downtempo

Spacey stuff with groove. It's not any of that cold medium stuff. The combination of lo-fi texture and spacy analog synth is very pleasant. "Stampede" (featuring Rachel Calladine) is my favorite track from this album.

Choice 5
The Jazz Thing
by Christian Prommer's Drumlesson/The Diningrooms
Label: Schema
Genre: Broken Beat / Nu Jazz / Nu Soul

This is definitely a "jazz thing." It takes you to the old black-and-white period, and would go nicely with some wine and a fire place. (But I prefer listening to this kind of album quietly and alone.) Cold winter night stuff. 

CD Review: Geyser - Atmosphere

by Lydia Takemoto
August 3, 2011

Atmosphere
Geyser (Riad Michael)
Release Date: 12/29/2005
Label: Geyser Recordings
©2005 Geyser Recordings

In anticipation of the upcoming album Fifth, by Geyser (Riad Michael), Massa and I have recently obtained promo copies of this German musician's 2005 ambient-downtempo album, Atmosphere, and his more experimental work, Concrete. Having worked with Geyser before Massa is already well aware of his talent for producing beautiful tracks, but this one album - Atmosphere - personally caught my attention.

Just as the name suggests, Atmosphere is certainly a mood album, and it does an excellent job of combining the talents of a wide variety of collaborating artists around Geyser's core sounds. Starting off with a touch of world instruments and skilled use of dissonance in "Tek 1," the album sets off on a high-altitude course, reminiscent of the album's name. "Pass" is another great ambient track, this time featuring the angelic voice of Estel Hagdorn to produce a calm sound with a sense of lingering grief - like the fading, warm glow of dusk as the sky gives way to darkness, as depicted on the album cover. Moving down the line a bit, the uplifting lounge sound on "Anker" is well accompanied by the energetic sax of Boris Lange, whose kinetic melody kicks the mind into motion. Immediately following, we come to this author's personal favorite track, "Axon," aptly-named, as it combines a high bpm with surreal ambient sounds to create a sense of "calm" urgency - like when the mind-brain fires up an electrical storm and finds focus in chaotic tension just nanoseconds before sending the body into action.

Stay tuned for a review of Fifth in the near future.

Listen to Atmosphere:

Participating musicians (in addition to Geyser): Michael White (aka Yuniversal), Ayhan Doger, Estel Hagdorn, Daniel Michael, Virginia, Markus Schlösser, Boris Lange, Dön, Aimé & Ingmar Niecke

Atmosphere is available on Amazon, iTunes, and a variety of other online distribution channels around the web.