Having already established themselves as performers and artists par excellence in the ever-fertile scene of NYC, Delia Gonzalez and Gavin Russom were introduced to the wider listening public via the second installment of the DFA Compilation series. Their contribution, "El Monte," fit DFA's retroelectro aesthetic, but in a unique way. While not in the post-punk disco vein, their closest antecedents are still from the 1970s and early 1980s, when an adventurous lot were tinkering with early synthesizers, sequencers, and drum machines. Certainly there are similarities with Brian Eno's well-known ambient work, but more directly, there are connections to the German synthesizer innovators like Harmonia, Tangerine Dream, and Manuel Gottsching — the very pioneers who were influencing Eno.
But to spend too much time musing on the progenitors of their sound is to do it a disservice. Rather than functioning as some sort of ambient nostalgia act, this inspired duo has created one of the most exciting releases of 2005. With The Days of Mars, Delia Gonzalez and Gavin Russom (or, considering that we're all pals here, Delia & Gavin for short) have created an epic and meaningful electronic meditation. While the likes of it haven't been heard for many years, it is in no way a simplistic throwback. Rather, it's a contemporary and progressive documentation of the psychic lives of its creators.
The pieces function like lush soundtracks for dreams of an electric, but also quite human, nature. The opener, "Rise," builds from an analog drone into an anxious web of music that tangles the listener within it, and its ability to entrance only grows upon further listens. In fact, all four of the tracks function in a similar way, creating richly textured worlds of synthetic sound that will increasingly captivate the imagination of those who are willing. Delia & Gavin's works in the video and live performance arenas are not separate from these compositions, as this music is as visually evocative as it is aurally. The pulsating, wavering synth lines that intertwine and encircle each other paint chimerical and otherworldly landscapes — landscapes suggested by track names like "13 Moons" and "Black Spring," as well as by the very title of the album.
For those who think they can only stomach the burbling of analog keyboards in the context of a dance track, The Days of Mars may not be the best bet. However, I encourage even those folks, and certainly all lovers of more contemplative krautrock, to check Delia & Gavin out. It may be a long time before anyone else is able to construct such a potent statement of the power and beauty of electronic music.
Having already established themselves as performers and artists par excellence in the ever-fertile scene of NYC, Delia Gonzalez and Gavin Russom were introduced to the wider listening public via the second installment of the DFA Compilation series. Their contribution, "El Monte," fit DFA's retroelectro aesthetic, but in a unique way. While not in the post-punk disco vein, their closest antecedents are still from the 1970s and early 1980s, when an adventurous lot were tinkering with early synthesizers, sequencers, and drum machines. Certainly there are similarities with Brian Eno's well-known ambient work, but more directly, there are connections to the German synthesizer innovators like Harmonia, Tangerine Dream, and Manuel Gottsching - the very pioneers who were influencing Eno.
But to spend too much time musing on the progenitors of their sound is to do it a disservice. Rather than functioning as some sort of ambient nostalgia act, this inspired duo has created one of the most exciting releases of 2005. With The Days of Mars, Delia Gonzalez and Gavin Russom (or, considering that we're all pals here, Delia & Gavin for short) have created an epic and meaningful electronic meditation. While the likes of it haven't been heard for many years, it is in no way a simplistic throwback. Rather, it's a contemporary and progressive documentation of the psychic lives of its creators.
The pieces function like lush soundtracks for dreams of an electric, but also quite human, nature. The opener, "Rise," builds from an analog drone into an anxious web of music that tangles the listener within it, and its ability to entrance only grows upon further listens. In fact, all four of the tracks function in a similar way, creating richly textured worlds of synthetic sound that will increasingly captivate the imagination of those who are willing. Delia & Gavin's works in the video and live performance arenas are not separate from these compositions, as this music is as visually evocative as it is aurally. The pulsating, wavering synth lines that intertwine and encircle each other paint chimerical and otherworldly landscapes - landscapes suggested by track names like "13 Moons" and "Black Spring," as well as by the very title of the album.
For those who think they can only stomach the burbling of analog keyboards in the context of a dance track, The Days of Mars may not be the best bet. However, I encourage even those folks, and certainly all lovers of more contemplative krautrock, to check Delia & Gavin out. It may be a long time before anyone else is able to construct such a potent statement of the power and beauty of electronic music.
1. Rise
2. 13 Moons
3. Relevee
4. Black Spring