Guest
BUY “MISSED THE NOISE“ HERE: When you talk about an artist so often you might run out of things to say. Let this not be confused with repeatedly making the same album, because that's not what's happening. Each of this artist's works are unique, varied and interesting in their own way. But at a certain point you find yourself with nothing new to say about a particular style, and you end up repeating “I really like this“. Well, that's the position I find myself in. Chiasm is an artist I have covered quite extensively, and thus it's very hard to actually write anything new about her. What else can I add? She's my favourite electronic producer, I would buy a toilet plunger from her if she put one Enter John Fryer. Yes, that John Fryer. Ex-member of This Mortal Coil, John Fryer. Still need to listen to that band. Forgive me for not knowing the history on this one, but I don't fully know how these two ended up collaborating. That being said, long time listeners will recognise his work on the In Hiding EP, with a remix of Locked In (Which was fucking great by the way). Then, I learned that Chiasm was collaborating with him further, with the EPs Away, Are You Okay and Intertwined. As a guy who's generally unfamiliar with John Fryer, I thought these EPs were good, but I didn't really click with the tracks that much. So now that Missed the Noise, the album that is the birthchild of this musical union has come forth, what do I think? I think this kicks major ass. The album starts with a bang and a banger, with Noise, a bouncy head bobber of an introduction with a hook that could catch a fox. And it's here that we immediately need to discuss Fryer's style, how it differs from Chiasm's and also converges. Chiasm is decidedly more home-made, in the sense that I wouldn't expect your average artist to make the kind of musical choices she makes. Fryer is more inclined towards a traditional EDM style, though that's not to say his music is at all ordinary - He takes Chiasm's style and tinkers with it, flips it about. I've often said that whenever I listen to a Chiasm song, I can hear new things every time or rediscover something I forgot, and such is true here, but in a different way. Fryer makes music for Chiasm that is different, but not alien. Another aspect of why Missed the Noise is so great is, with no surprise, Chiasm herself. Essentially Fryer's music acts as the facilitator of a playground for her voice and singing, and she sounds as fresh as she ever has with catchy, gripping vocal melodies. It feels like the inclusion of Fryer's music is pivotal, because it provides a new context for Chiasm's vocals and music. I also believe Chiasm touched up some of these tracks - I find beats, synths and instruments that feel like they have that signature stamp on it (examples being at the start of Missed). No matter the case, I don't think Chiasm's only input was vocal. Some highlights of her vocals though, include Intertwined, Noise, Yours, and Gone, where miss Rohn recounts her experiences of 2020 self-isolation. That is kinda a joke, but those lyrics don't lie. I usually come up with some way to describe each piece that Chiasm comes up with as a place. This one also has a distinctive feeling - I think that if this album was a place, it would be watching over the ocean, and in the ocean is a reflection of your past - All your triumphs, mistakes, thoughts, hopes, dreams - And then a thought passes you - “What now?“ Missed the Noise is absolutely terrific, it's an excelent jumping in point for those who want to get into this kind of music and a great reinvention of Chiasm's style. I highly recommend at least giving it a listen. You don't want to miss this noise. One last thing, and this is completely unrelated. I'd like to shill for my friend's game. It's called Nightfall Hacker, it's a really cool turn based strategy game where you play as a white hat hacker, and you use programs to erase other programs. It's got 2 campaigns, about 100 levels, it's got open ended design so you can pretty much pick and choose how you go through each level. It's also got a level editor and a soundtrack composed by yours truly. I can't comment on the quality of the music objectively but I'd say it's pretty good. And it's only 7 quid. If you could go support my pal, I'd appreciate it a lot. It's on sale for 20% off right now so definitely take a look and see if it's the kind of game for you. Buy Nightfall Hacker here: Listen to the Nightfall Hacker OST here: I DO NOT OWN CHIASM, JOHN FRYER OR ANY OF THE MUSIC I FEATURE ON MY CHANNEL. THIS MUSIC IS SUBJECT TO CHIASM'S AND JOHN FRYER'S COPYRIGHT AND WILL BE REMOVED UPON REQUEST!
