Album Review: Spectral+
ALBUM – Spectral+
ARTIST – Locust
LABEL – TODO Records
GRADE – B
The ambient techno artist, Locust, first released music in the early 90s and has been growing and changing as an artist ever since.
Locust’s older release, Morning Light, was the record that first sparked my interest. However, despite my admiration of the creative vision, I do not recommend Spectral+ as a whole.
The elements I used to evaluate this record are: originality, cohesion, dynamics, and collaboration.
This project differs from Locust’s usual discography through collaborations with other artists in nearly every song. That said, I think these collaborations diminish Locust’s contribution to each track, and instead bank on the creativity of others to set the record apart. This multitude of collaborations also takes away some of the unifying elements, making certain songs feel out of place in the collective vision.
Although this adds to the dynamics within the album, I believe it is far more valuable to prioritise dynamics within each song. This demonstrates to listeners how the artist is able to warp and develop an idea using a more narrow creative scope.
Overall, the choppy nature of the album makes it a difficult listen if you are expecting to be encapsulated by the overall mood. Personally, I failed to stay fully engaged.
However, if you are interested in some steady beats or encapsulating vocals, I do highly recommend the following songs for a listen-through: “White Light,” “All of Them,” “Long Distance Lover,” and my favourite, “Midori/Falls Away From Me.”
—Deya Mirkov
