Review: Rival Consoles - Persona

Firstly, an apology.

It's Friday 13th, and it's been too long since I posted anything so sorry for anyone who's been waiting...not that there is likely to be many of you hanging on my every word.

I have been once again trawling the various online sources (AllMusic, AOTY, Discogs and more lately Resident Advisor) for the new doses of diverse Electronic music I crave.

Enter Rival Consoles, which has popped up on my Spotify Daily Mix a few times and piqued my interest enough to be excited about this new release from Ryan Lee West.

Described as Microhouse/IDM by AOTY, I immediately felt this would be accessible but it has a depth to it that I didn't perceive possible in many albums of its type.

"Unfolding" takes the lead wonderfully, as a marching step beat folds into the opener and reverberates alongside echoey synths and a really nice key sequence that rises and falls, taking the listener on a textural journey.

"Persona" has a more sinister quality to it with a quickened, more incessant beat structure and throb from the instruments.

"Memory Arc" takes a much more Ambient turn, twisting small snatches of melody into an ethereal sampled sequence, akin to the segue musical sequence you find in a futuristic thriller.

"Phantom Grip" follows on from this with a light echoed beat and low-fi growl from the samples, grinding and churning alongside one another to create a rhythmic and slightly eerie quality to the track.

"Be Kind" is another Ambient track so simplistic in its inception; using a light sequence of keys alongside a scratchy, humming rhythm which is simple in its intent but perfectly compliments the melody gliding over the top. It is like a dream sequence and allows the mind to drift into a waking sleep, somewhere in a far off world.

Bouncing into the fray comes "I Think So", plying the listener with reverse engineered and bouncy elongated synths and double bass alongside the piano notes to create a somewhat tense experience during the course of the track. The way it builds to its crescendo - with a near-muted midway pause - is wonderful.

"Sun's Abandon" decides to take a combination of synth patterns and a beautifully looped female vocal dipping in and out of the track with more grimy and industrial sounding drums. The result is a slightly more abrasive listen, but a nonetheless satisfying one.

The hums that greet "Dreamer's Wake" send a slightly reassuring shiver down your spine as the tune bumps, plucks and handclaps its way along in a sci-fi film noir-esque way. The use of echo and reverb on this track is particularly clever but isn't an isolated event on the album. Many artists try this effect but Ryan seems to be sparing and targeted with it, making it all the more effective.

"Untravel" starts exactly like the synths are part of a lost track from the original Blade Runner movie soundtrack, so beautifully crafted by Vangelis in 1982. The shadow-play of synth rhythm here is used to great effect, with certain pockets of sound just peering in and then retreating immediately. It is actually a very evocative and emotionally potent piece.

"Rest" has a light and airy quality to it with its organ, chimes and slowly building beats, moving from tap-tap-tap to something more meaningful through the middle section of the track.

"Hidden" takes lightly constructed beat patterns and slides them in behind a rising and falling - almost muttered and muted - synth sample to create an extended intro, before moving into a more urgent, blip-blip-blap and howl melody that drives forward with alarm and purpose. Once again, Ryan creates an epic track with ominous mood which makes it both edgy and foreboding.

The coup de grace is "Fragment", which takes all of the best elements of an Autechre or Aphex Twin style of Ambient track to close out the album perfectly. It bounces and echoes and slides in and out of view seamlessly.

After only a single listen I was engrossed and that's fairly unusual for me with new Electronic artists that I haven't fully explored before so I am encouraged that this feeling will only improve with time. That is the only reason I am marking it down ever so slightly, which is totally pedantic I know. This is a work commute album for sure, as easily as it is one to put on in the background at home for moments of quiet reflection.

I am now moving to downloading the Rival Consoles' entire back catalogue to explore this wonderful and diverse textural experience that Ryan offers his listeners, and I hope others will too.

9/10

Badger x