Weekly Review: death’s dynamic shroud.wmv – I’ll Try Living Like This
this week for the weekly review, i’m checking out the 2015 release from death’s dynamic shroud.wmv, I’ll Try Living Like This
alrighty I’ll Try Living Like This starts off with 너 땜에 맘이 맘이 맘이 맘이 괴로워요 (Neo Ttaeme Mami Mami Mami Mami Goerowoyo, or Because of You, My Heart, My Heart, My Heart, My Heart Aches), and damn love this one. somethin about the slowdown on a lot of the extra vocal flourishes, the “oh yeah”s, feels really cool, and i really like all the magical girl sfx added to it. neat track. and you know me i dig a smooth transition and the shift into Loving Is Easy is so smooth. okay ngl i caught the PonPonPon by Kyary Pamyu Pamyu later in the song but my brain completely did not recognize it at the beginning until i sat down to write this. i think i was too busy trying to place it as a KK Slider track, though i guess thats a testament to how effectively it got transformed, haha. i really like how it shifts into the middle of the track too, with the other sample, and how the more recognizable part of PonPonPon emerges suddenly from the grindier, harsher sounds. fun track, lot to dig into here. Somebody Home is p nice, but this one i think fails to click with me. 혼자 남은 지금 꼴이 (Honja Nameun Jigeum Kkori, or I’m Left Alone Now) goes real hard in the disconnected haze feeling huh. extremely effective. 이보다 좋을 수는 없겠어 (Iboda Joeul Suneun Eopgesseo, or Can’t Get Any Better Than This) does some really cool stuff with its like, i dunno, easy listening esque sound, and again those sparkle sfx add a beautiful touch to it. i don’t like the effect on the vocals much, personally. i get the intent and the song’s fine that just turns me a bit off from it. the slow, menacing build up on CD Factory / 드라마 (Drama) is very cool, and to have it dodge the climax with the like, sorta startup sound leading into the vocals is a real neat trick. i like how 시원한 파도소리 좋아요 (Siwonhan Padosori Joayo, or I Like the Cool Sound of Waves) kinda builds itself a lil space around its vocal samples, with the spacey bits for the first vocalization and the industrial like, clang that gets added in. REALLY dig the more active, upbeat sounds of 내 마음은 떨고 (Nae Maeumeun Tteolgo, or My Heart Is Trembling), this track’s doing some extremely fun stuff with its material, even if it does get a lil harsh in the back half, haha. 그대 기억에 지쳐 잠들죠 (Geudae Gieoge Jichyeo Jamdeuljyo, or Tired of Remembering You, I Fall Asleep) is p short and sweet, esp compared to a lot of its neighbors, but ooh, again that transition right into 혼자 남은 지금 꼴이 (Reprise) (Honja Nameun Jigeum Kkori, again I’m Left Alone Now) is extremely clean. CD Player, Pt III is absolutely my fave track off the record. part of it is that its borrowing a lot more of it’s source’s vocal melody, but i this its got a real trance-like repetition to it and its very effective in wrapping you up in this kind of discordant, hazey blanket. big fan. plus you gotta love that it’s Pt III on a record with no Pt II and only a Pt I if you look at it sideways. 난 괜찮다고 또 웃으며 / Good Bye (Nan Kwaench’ant’ago Tto Usŭmyŏ or I Smile Again Saying It’s Okay / Goodbye) closes out the record, and is the longest track here.
faves – 너 땜에 맘이 맘이 맘이 맘이 괴로워요, Loving Is Easy, 내 마음은 떨고, CD Player, Pt III
dislikes –
i wasn’t deep into the vaporwave heyday, but i would say i was a casual fan when it was developing. i dipped my toes into a few record and thoroughly enjoyed what i heard, but never took the dive to do a ton of exploration at the time. i’m almost certain i tried this record out and p much immediately bounced off it.
which is a damn shame! there’s a lot here that’s really neat – i mentioned it a few times but there’s a kind of haze that’s constructed in a few different ways over the course of the record, a mildly discordant and disruptive feeling that combines with strong synth tones to give you a feeling of disconnected peace. it’s something i’m familiar with from some other examples of the genre, but it feels extremely personal here, a story of isolation indicated by track titles and vocal snippets.
i have a few other thoughts about the kind of decoding that ive seen with some vaporwave tracks, where track names are obfuscated and samples are distorted. it could be written off as aesthetic becomes a process of untanglement in trying to figure out or talk about the track. but ngl im getting to the party a lil late for some of that discussion, haha.
anyway, really enjoyed this one and i’m glad i spent enough time with it to immerse myself in the vibes.
I’ll Try Living Like This – 8/10
the selection for this week’s suggestion pool is Wildhoney, a 1994 record released by Swedish group Tiamat. i’ll be back next Friday, July 8th for a review, and in the meantime, let me know what album you’d like me to review! (i pool all suggestions in one place, and draw a person, then a pick from that person, so feel free to drop as many as you’d like! if you leave an email or username i’ll contact you when i’ve gotten through all your suggestions.)
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