More Ephemerol - Fractal Bath

Let me introduce you to synth-obsessed producer More Ephemerol, whose name so happens to be Chad Fjerstad. Based out of Los Angeles, this dude doesn't have that big of a reputation at the moment, but his passion is notable. This album just released in January earlier this year, athough I do believe the cassette released at a later date then the digital version. Either way, More Ephemerol's "Fractal Bath" is a fairly oddball soundtrack that describes a human dissatisfied with his own species, who escapes into his own head and explores space and the like. It's kind of like an acid trip, though not as powerful. 

Anyway, as I said earlier, this guy is synth-obsessed, so you could say his music borders the whole synth/retrowave genres while maintaining a freakish air about it. And the uniqueness is what I like about it, and the only really, really horrendous thing on the album I found were the robotic/digital lyrically delivery found within 'Transparents', even though the music was quite outstanding. 

Really, the album plays out like a soundtrack that would be found in a B-rated horror flick from the eighties (and, mind you, I love those types of films, so this album is a natural fit for me). Most notably, you could say that tracks such as 'The Bulge', 'Plum', and even 'Doll In The Closet' to some extent covers that ground. 

And, then you have tracks that don't necessarily fit in with the lo-fi, eighties sounding synth sequences such as 'Photographer'. More focused on a sort of electro rhythm than anything really synth based, the bleeps and bloops found within were still well presented. 

And, overall, the package is pretty nice. I have no major complaints, and I can't say that I was absolutely floored by what this dude is doing, but I can say that I see a bright future for this producer. He has a unique sound, a lovely array of homages and influences, and can only move forward from here. 
Jun 12 2015