THE DECONSTRUCTION OF LIGHT

A great album!

Nowadays the power of social media is so huge that one can get closer to new music through it. I am saying this because I got in touch with Electric Mud via Twitter, listened to the music, liked it and then got in contact with Hagen Bretschneider, the mastermind behind this project. "The Deconstruction of Light" is the third album of the German, which features 7 songs and a total time of 52 minutes of great instrumental music.

I think it would not be fair to put only one label to this music, it is impossible, since we can find hints of diverse sounds and genres. A clear example of it is the first track "Deadend Mind" whose first minutes are heavy, with some stoner or even sludge sound that later turns proggy and then, a sudden change takes us to an spacey trip that evokes some classic electronic pioneers such as Jean-Michel Jarre. Another change come next, xylophone and moon appear, the spacey atmosphere prevails but now with a more captivating sound. More intensity is present, repetitive but addictive notes that create a very enjoyable final part.

"Canary in a Cathouse" opens softly with a piano and a spacey background creating a melancholic sound, but wait, a minute later a raw guitar appears and a completely new sound appears. See, one cannot label this band because in one single song they offer a challenging blend of genres and sounds. This time they take us to a rock trip that later turns a bit psych with the introduction of organ. I also believe Hagen and co. make some kind of renditions to some heroes such as Steve Hackett with a mini solo just before the song becomes again spacey. At minute 7, drums start to rebuild the music, then guitar takes the lead and the song becomes rockier. It is a cool journey through vast lands and sounds, indeed.

A couple of shorter tracks come next. "Black Dog" returns with a raw rockin' guitar that reminds me of some old school acts such as Deep Purple or Black Sabbath (though the song's name would recall another giant). Within the song one will find again some changes in mood and tempo, but none of them are out of place, I mean, they are well-thought so we can easily enjoy them. "Suburban Wasteland Blues" starts with a catchy sound that has of course that bluesy inspiration on it, however, fulfilled with a stoner spirit, the bass will tell you. At half the track there is a major change, soft music with even a jazzy feeling. So Electric Mud don't cease to offer new and different sounds, maybe you could say it doesn't have a clear musical style, I would say their style is certainly going to a journey through the decades.

The longest song comes next. "Heads in Beds" opens with a delicate acoustic guitar, soft and calm that opens the door to electric guitar, reminding me a bit of Gilmour this time. This peaceful moment continues for four minutes, relaxing, introspective, beautiful, and then, little by little keyboards enter with a repetitive sound whose intensity increases until it explodes and becomes a Tangerine Dream ?inspired track. The last minutes are very emotional, with colorful guitar solos and an amazing background. This is a wonderful track, one of my favorites here and one I would recommend if you want to have a peaceful journey.

"Through the Gates" is a short but wonderful track that has the electronic essence of those already mentioned giants such as Tangerine Dream or Jean-Michel Jarre. This could easily work as a sci-fi movie soundtrack. Addictive and epic, what a great track! And the album finishes with "Moongarden", which will take us to the opener track since it evokes its final part, the one with xylophone. It is like rounding the circle, though the music within the album has a lot of edges, all of them which provide a very pleasant listening journey.

Enjoy it!