Tea Time

GENRE: rock, instrumental Lately, I've been pretty disappointed by Strawberry Girls.  Their most recent works haven't had quite the punch their older songs had. This one is more in the right direction though. You still have the flowery riffs in the intro, but with the sixteenth note snare patterns entering in, I knew immediately that this was going somewhere. The jump into a melodic minor scale was the right choice. I guess that's why they called it Mini Ripper . The syncopated riffs are back in action too, especially when Ben Rosett gets to work his magic. Before we get back to that intro riff, we get a development section too. Honestly, for my tastes, it's a leaning a little on the too  poppy side. I personally enjoy their more unapologetic thrashing riffs that retain a small sense of finesse. I just wish we got more of it. Rating: 8/10

GENRE:   indie, instrumental Now here's a genre I don't think I've done. I don't exactly have the expertise or esoteric knowledge of music composed for film, TV, etc. But, what I can say is that I can definitely see this piece fitting perfectly with wide shots of vast plains or mountains. The repetition of that guitar riff in the background maintains a steady feeling of tension throughout the entire piece, as if something is not sitting totally right. It's essentially a minor arpeggio, with a solo guitar singing over the top. Using acoustic guitars in general implants images of the rural countryside. Now, I'm not sure what the state of Colorado has to do with it, but I'm guessing it's the mountains? Either way, this piece does take me to a different place of mind. Although it's not exactly a peaceful place, it's certainly a profound one. Rating: 8/10

GENRE: progressive, instrumental  I've actually seen this band recommended to me, but I just brushed it off because I was a bit tired of the timbre associated with progressive rock and such. Now's a good time as any to revisit the genre, and I can't describe how I feel as anything but poignant. I've heard great things about this band, and this is one of their more popular songs, but I can't help but feel a certain staleness to the musical depth of the piece. I can certainly understand the complexity inherent in the individual instruments, especially the drums. The guitar parts themselves play off each other quite a bit, which makes for interesting listens, but the constant barrage of arpeggios certainly gets tiring after awhile, making for a rather amorphous blob of chords and melodic lines, with no distinguishable features. I could say that I'm just not in the mood, because I can definitely see this as more of a background song, but that would be disingenuou...

genre: experimental, instrumental I wrote about this artist before, and I enjoyed their instrumental material. I dove further into what they have previously worked on, and this album is what I found, emphasis on album.  Each song is less than 2 minutes long, and each song elaborates and develops on a simple idea. And because of that, I decided why not, and added the whole album as an entry. It's a short, quick, and elevating listening experience. The instrumentation is pleasant and minimalist. Consisting of saxophones, fluttery trumpets, and sometimes a piano, there is something genuine about limiting yourself and working with what you've got. All the instruments speak to each other and build upon an initial, progressive musical idea. Usually, the musical ideas are comprised of runs with intricate harmonies. Fortunately, that's the type of stuff I love. Rating: 7.5/10

genre: instrumental rock snack: chao ga I really try not to write about the same band more than once unless I really have to. With Maggie Rogers and Agalloch, their impressive pieces convinced me to write multiple posts. If you've been following, Tang  is one of the first bands I wrote about. Being extremely new to the music scene, Tang  has just put out a new set of songs, with Swan Gang being one of them. Now, I really enjoyed their single Moon Sugar , but wow was I surprised with the quality and consistency of Swan Gang . Not only does it uphold the same style and flair that I've come to really enjoy from Tang's sound and style, it raises the bar. With even more juicy riffs and rhythms, Swan Song sounds like it could be their best song for the times to come. Opening with a poppy, spunky guitar riff, the lead melody guitar plays along with voluptuous bends. I love  the lead guitar in this, because it tells me that they know how to have fun with their sound. But lo...

genre: instrumental, ambient snack: gardettos Taking a step back, we look at something more calm and serendipitous. I want to take a look at this song from the context of what it is trying to achieve. It's not meant to develop all too much throughout the song, much less embrace a melody or larger song structure. Personally, I think some songs can do it well. Late Night Voyages in my mind conveys a luminescent, coherent soundscape. It never traverses strays too far from the working formula, and adds tinges of instrumental artistry to further the vision. Honestly, it's just a background song. I shouldn't be diving too deep into it. For lack of a comparison, it gives strong vibes of Pink Floyd's  Dark Side of the Moon. Knowing me, that's a good thing.  Rating: 6.5