Continuing his fruitful relationship with Ghostly International, L.A.-based producer Seth Haley offers up the next (and supposedly penultimate) chapter in the sonic adventures of his fictional space explorer Com Truise on Silicon Tare. Full of icy synth arpeggios, minimal off-key pads and stuttering beats full of awesome tom fills, Haley's latest finds his signature sound happily intact, even if it's beginning to wear itself a bit thin.
Much of the EP sounds as though it could have been taken from Wave 1, Haley's last release, and though Silicon Tare is slicker and more controlled, it sounds like an artist perfecting his style as opposed to developing it, which could be read as troubling given how young Haley's career is. For an album conceptually centered on the adventures of a galactic explorer, there is little sonic exploration here beyond the boundaries that Haley has competently been working within since his debut.
That being said, a more refined version of Com Truise is certainly not without its merits. The unexpected drum breakdown in "Forgive" is well played, and when the chugging bass line of "du Zirconia" kicks in to close the album, it makes one keen to hear where Truise will travel for his final outing. One hopes that once this space opera is complete Haley will allow himself to broaden his horizons a bit more. In the meantime, Silicon Tare is worth a listen.
(Ghostly International)Much of the EP sounds as though it could have been taken from Wave 1, Haley's last release, and though Silicon Tare is slicker and more controlled, it sounds like an artist perfecting his style as opposed to developing it, which could be read as troubling given how young Haley's career is. For an album conceptually centered on the adventures of a galactic explorer, there is little sonic exploration here beyond the boundaries that Haley has competently been working within since his debut.
That being said, a more refined version of Com Truise is certainly not without its merits. The unexpected drum breakdown in "Forgive" is well played, and when the chugging bass line of "du Zirconia" kicks in to close the album, it makes one keen to hear where Truise will travel for his final outing. One hopes that once this space opera is complete Haley will allow himself to broaden his horizons a bit more. In the meantime, Silicon Tare is worth a listen.