Chiasm - 11:11

Solo electro-industrial project, Chiasm, headed by Emileigh Rohn in Detroit has released her fourth solo album titled 11:11. Before I even got into the music, I decided to look into the name of the album. My main guess is that it has to do with the numerical time significance of the number, showing that the time "11:11" is either a sign of good fortune or that a spirit is nearby. And I appreciate either explanation, despite the claims being disputed by critics.

Nonetheless, what struck me first and foremost about the album before anything was the vocals spread without the album. They are gorgeous, that goes without saying a word. At least they're gorgeous when they aren't too digitally messed with, but we'll get to that in a moment. Take a listen to a song such as Draw a House, where there are slight, but little effect on the vocals, and you'll understand what I'm talking about. She has a really grand voice, and I refuse to say anything but that.

And even when they are touched upon or messed with such as in Hideaway, as enhanced as they are, they still come through as being pretty good and fitting within the song. I think my favorite song within the album with these distorted vocals would be Reliance, where, upon entering the second half of the album, we are given two sets of voices going on at once. We have the not so touched upon vocals, and then the really mixed vocals. It almost sounds like a situation where you have a devil on one shoulder, and an angel on the other. Both are telling you what to do, but each are so smooth tongued that you know not which to take advice from.

And, now we move onto the electronic beats that we are given within the album. They aren't amazing by any means, but they do get the job done. They are fairly synthpop inspired, but a lot of the times I feel as if the songs are lacking a sort of depth to them. I feel as if they would flow a lot better if they had more bass to them, as they would come off a lot more hard hitting, and would go well along with Ms. Rohn's voice.

However, Angry Tree was really damn good to me. It had an ongoing and soothing synth line throughout the whole song, and the drum and bass techniques within it, while being fairly repetitious, was nice adjacent to the more calm beats. Not only that, but I felt as if I was being sung a lullaby as I listened to this song. I could easily fall asleep with it playing in my ear. And I would enjoy that very much.

And, so, I do think Chiasm has chosen a really good title for this album. There are some things wrong with this album, yes, and it's not in my top ten list or anything, but it still manages to inspire me. Inspire to do what? I don't know. To sing. To flock. To go outside and appreciate what I have around me. Why? I really don't know. This album just gives off a fairly positive vibe. And, I feel as if I am lucky to have gotten the chance to listen to this album, as if a fairy dropped it off at my doorstep. I enjoyed it, and will continue doing so even if you don't. Sep 21 2013