“I was truly amazed when hearing the second single off this album, “To Come Unglued”. A thrilling, sparkling song. I was also enthused when checking out the first teaser from the album, “The Lights in the Sands of Katumpkale” (launched in April). Heavenly music, indeed.
So, a beautiful (and cryptic) title as Olive Skinned, Silver Tongued Siren Sings Swan Songs must surely hide several treasures and hidden gems, besides “…Katumpkale” and “To Come Unglued”. Yes, of course it does. REW<< (a.k.a. Ryan E. Weber) has come up with a delicious dish of experimental and playful pop, making this an excellent adventure. Hidden Shoal call the eclectic songcraft of Weber to be ‘refracted through the lens of a laptop, conveying the open-endedness, excitement and disconnection of post-modern living while maintaining the immediacy of pop.’ When Hidden Shoal say that the spectre of Weber’s songs go from the ‘grand to the intimate (…from shimmering, widescreen electronic pop to haunting, minimal ballads)’… well, this is the perfect, pinpoint description. And, what’s even better: Olive Skinned… is fantastic either if its ‘grand’ or ‘intimate’. It fits both ‘outfits’. Either way is good. Spellbinding stuff for sure. Tune in to and hang on to Weber’s musical journey. You will be enriched in every way.
The album opens with the careful, colourful and slowly spinning “Big Fish and the Sirens”. Imagine a big, dream world fish slaloming, zig-zagging the blue sea between some mysterious sirens singing trying to catch it. “To Come Unglued” is as fantastic that I remembered it from two moonths back. “The Distance From Vultures” is a more fragile, sparse moment, with a plucking guitar and Weber’s intimate, intriguing vocals. Most songs are tinted with mysticism and exoticism as they spin through near see-through veils of some dreamlike adventure land. When hearing these songs, I imagine some laidback, Tim Burtonesque scenes. Add some low-toned sequences from some of Christopher Nolan’s films, or Michel Gondry’s cinematic world, and you might end up somewhere near the soul of REW<<‘s song. This is the sound of the bordering area between consciousness and unconsciousness; between the real and the unreal; between sheer, clear love and discreet admiration. This is the soundtrack to misty landscapes of mystery and magic. Just check out tracks like “Indigo Fortresses”, “Swan’s Melody”, or “Cupid’s Empty House”. This is Cupid and Psyche 2015.
Olive Skinned, Silver Tongued Siren Sings Swan Songs is electronic pop mystique fantastique. I guess, when 2015 fades this will stand out as one of my definite favourites of the year. Hats off, Mr. Weber.”