Neon Index 9 — Rediscovery, Call, and Jupiter

Neon Noir
Neon Noir
Nov 4 · 5 min read

Welcome to Neon Index 9, a series of short-reviews of synth-related music albums! If you are not familiar with how this works, I strongly recommend taking a peek at Neon Index 0 for the why, how, and when.

I thank you for taking this journey with me.

In this edition rediscover the forgotten, find out who called, and visit Jupiter.

This is Neon Index.

Rediscover by Jantzen

Rediscover is a 10-track Funk and Dance album by Jantzen released on the 29th of May 2019.

Nostalgic or not, many agree that finding something old you’ve used to enjoy a long time ago does fill one with joy. Be it a video game, toy, movie — long forgotten, archived deep in your memory, it is now almost unrelated to your current life. But rediscovering it is a very personal moment, as you’re taken back in time, but now with a different perspective. You may like or not what you discover, but if it was discarded years ago, it could be worth keeping going forward.

Funky guitars, thick bass, and a heavy synth are Jantzen’s weapons of choice in his rediscovery of the past, and perhaps music itself. These danceable tunes speak of the worth of the things we’ve left in the past as we follow current trends. Many of the tracks blend different styles, approaches, samples, to just plainly have fun. Rediscover is a variety box of funk, house, synthwave, with some blues and punk influences as well.

With so much to fit just under one album, it is surprisingly consistent with its tone, it being very joyous, even the songs that deal with heavier topics such as war and the understanding of reality, take a more lighthearted approach the writing itself, which could be interpreted as a memory distortion, or nostalgic blindness. Lastly the amount of different instruments/sounds used and the assortment of techniques, which combined with the atmospheric inclusion of sound effects is very commendable and makes the whole experience not have a moment of dullness.

Dust off that box of old memories and let the old you influence the current you on Spotify and Bandcamp.

I Didn’t Call by The Less Dead

I Didn’t Call is an 8-track Synthwave and Ambient album by The Less Dead released on the 28th of June 2019.

There is something special about art made with the intent to support an even larger piece of art, as you have to relay quite the same message through different mediums, which is a challenge. And when that is said and done, the piece stands alone as something different from its brethren, as the design it has at the foundation is unlike the usual idea of the medium itself.

I Didn’t Call, intentionally or not, is a very cinematic experience, a soundtrack at its core. It would beautifully fit a horror film or a thriller theater piece. The music is built to sink you in the surreal atmosphere it achieves via the slow, and relaxed synths mixed with guitars. It’s not horror in the traditional sense, as most of the writing is quite happy in tone, but it bears particular revulsion via its great direction.

What makes this particular album special is the inclusion of vocals. One could say that due to that, the artist didn’t commit fully to the creation of a truly cinematic experience. I find that that vision is realized, to add, the wonderful vocals, done in more of a synthpop manner, add a punk or alternative sub-tone. This sub-tone gives a more lighthearted impression, giving the listener some space in order to take in the generally heavier themes featured — unsureness, ignorance, etc.

There is a movie somewhere in a parallel dimension, and that movie has this score as its soundtrack — a horror soundtrack that envelops you in a fun way.

Grab your popcorn and take a listen on Spotify and Bandcamp.

Jupiter’s Touch by A.GE

Jupiter’s Touch is a 5-track Synthwave and Space album by A.GE released on the 3rd of April 2019.

Space — the final frontier. Since the space race, the cosmos has always been an exciting topic to base art around, especially music. Though with the slow progress since the 60s, it seems like most artists have exhausted the thematic potential of it. Today, we have a bit of acceleration thanks to a new interest in the colonization of Mars, and it should be no surprise that as more and more scientists revisit the topic, so do artists.

Jupiter’s Touch is a space exploration, but it doesn’t necessarily take it to epic levels. It feels more humble, focused, but still adventurous — just like the landing on the moon. There are no aliens, monsters, or disasters, but instead a conversation about humanity, and our desire to hunt the unknown. Thus, the album seems simple at first glance, but in reality, delves deeper, using space smartly as scenery, to reach out to our basic instincts, crafting a rather exciting and pleasant road trip at the same time.

Upbeat, light, almost angelic synths dominate the tracks, setting the mood to a heroic and adventurous one. Acoustic-like drums support these with minimalistic, but efficient, beats with an 80s vibe.

Jupiter’s Touch is a heartwarming and cozy experience into space as we learn more about ourselves than space itself. Goes wonderful with a cup of your favourite hot beverage and a blanket.

Take to Jupiter and explore what you didn’t expect to on Spotify and Bandcamp.

Like anything on this issue of Neon Index? Take some time to listen to the albums!

Tracks which are most representative of the album are compiled in the Neon Index Spotify Playlist. Give it a follow to discover more albums in the future!

Are you an artist with a synth-related album, and want to be featured sooner than later? Submit here so I can share your wonderful art with the world.

This was Neon Noir, and I’ll catch you next time.

Neon Noir

Written by

Neon Noir

Synthwave Artist

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