“Superluminal is another nice musical project highly inspired by TD's latest albums on Virgin and the Jive Years”
1 Starshaper 5:17 2 Sender Rising 6:15 3 Resonicer 6:44 4 Cloudburst 6:45 5 Metathermic 6:22 6 Chromasphere 6:21 7 Velvet Looper 6:59 8 Glow Motion 7:30 Lightform Music (DDL 53:10) (Melodious EM of TD's vein) (V.F.)
A nice melody whistled in the cooing of a synth and a rhythmic pattern which pulses along a good bass line and jumps with its stream of shimmering sequences, Starshaper will awaken in some aficionados of Tangerine Dream of the Logos' years and also of the forgotten memories of Danger in Dream with the album Entrance, released in 2001. Soft whispering effects (heh and hah) and percussive effects animate as much the melodious and rhythmic approaches while embracing a minimalist repetitive pattern from which escapes around 3:30 minutes a surprising harmonic effect. You guessed; Lightform is another musical project strongly inspired by the Exit-Hyperborea period, with a view of Tangerine Dream's Jive Years. Created by Tim Darbyshire, who has also played with the Head Space Technology project and the band Cerulean, with Dave Barker, Lightform already offers a 6th opus since Tim Darbyshire presented LFO in early 2017. So much music in 2 years, but the quality remains with well-defined composition structures and always pleasant to hear. Available on Lightform's Bandcamp website, SUPERLUMINAL offers nearly 55 minutes of melodious EM woven by good sound sculptures from synths with evolving harmonies. The approach is minimalist with a good presence of the sequencer which forges rhythms not too complicated and rather catchy. The tone is light, as with Sender Rising and its frantic rhythm with light zigzags under various synth airs. The melody which evaporates to return and so and so also adopts a repetitive pattern which becomes obsessing. Resonicer is in the mold of Starshaper with a core of sequences which rallies the futuristic tribal rhythm of No Man's Land, in less powerful, to the static rhythms of Poland, always with less power. The synths weave different harmonic canvases and the rhythm becomes more accentuated, deviating even towards a good electronic rock. The sequencer on this title is very effective. Cloudburst is another light and melodious title which run across the course of SUPERLUMINAL. One likes? One will probably like Chromasphere as well! Not complicated and catchy, the music flows well. Metathermic is the rockiest track here with a bed of sequences bustling of life and bass percussive hits. The synths have a festive air with a slight Latin vision. Velvet Looper is another good rock with a very Chris Franke structure and orchestral synths, while that, lighter, Glow Motion finishes SUPERLUMINAL with the same recipe as on the other 7 tracks of this last Lightform album; rhythm driven by a good play of a sequencer and by sober drums, a bass line which sticks its pulsating heaviness to the sequencer and synths that are more in mode melody and short melodious solos rather than sound effects. In short, ingredients which make of it a charming and uncomplicated album that should certainly please to this new legion of Tangerine Dream fans.
Sylvain Lupari (March 4th, 2019) *****
Available at Lightform's Bandcamp
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