Com Truise – Galactic Melt 8.3

                Com Truise arrived. It took a while. Various remixes and a few side projects later he released his full length debut album. After only short time from his more lo-fi (and chillwave influenced “Cyanide Sisters EP) he’s found his own sound. Most chillwavers did. Seth Haley works with a down-tempo, funky version of Boards of Canada. Oddly nobody else came up with this idea. No worries though, the album is an absolute treat for the ears.

                If swag, that unknowable force, needed its own soundtrack, Galactic Melt would be that soundtrack. Right from the first track “Terminal” you can feel the pulse of the music. Seth is 80s synth heavy but the attention to detail is miles beyond what I usually hear. As the track progresses I feel the wind down, thinking I’m about to get shocked with a gigantic beat. 

                That’s the rest of album. By keeping the tempos slow, he literally blows you away with the sound. If things were sped up it would ruin the spaciousness of the songs. From “VHS Sex” to “Futureworld” there are multiple ideas: the funkiness, the melody, and the sounds reaching up into the sky. 

                “Brokendate” is easily my favorite. When I first heard this, I thought to myself: wow. I want to play this on an enormous sound system. Something I don’t have (excluding headphones). Listening to this I think how perfectly timed this release was, right in time to make it onto a summer jam MIX CD. Yeah, it is that tremendous. Com Truise is smart enough to pace it right too, allowing for a few quieter moments to focus on the muscularity of the sound. 

                Galactic Melt is uniformly good. Seth manages to keep the quality up throughout the whole release. Even the sound is kept consistent; he remains intensely focused on maintaining the mood. Really I’m pretty impressed with the album. There isn’t a dull moment.

Com Truise – Fairlight 7.5

                “Fairlight” is a sweet teaser EP for Com Truise’s release on Ghostly International. It makes sense that his slow-moving funk would find a home there. This will help those countless individuals who have been following his steady rise. He’s fairly prolific and released under the moniker “Airliner” earlier this year. 

                I like how he forms his own specific sound. Considering all the other groups who specialize in a 80s sound, that’s no mean feat. Most groups tend to work on obscuring the melodies in a haze. Com Truise realizes his work functions better with full light shining down on it. 

                All the songs show the natural progression towards that full-length album (Galactic Melt) out on July 5^th. Each one has its own charm. I like how the drums hit on “Fairlight” and the amount of detail he shows in the slow evolution of the song. On “Beta” you’re treated to more low-end, sprawling synths. That pales in comparison with the finale. 

                Endings are important. “Polyhurt” ends the EP on a high note. The low-slung quality of the song wins me over. He creates a strong structure. By taking his time with the hits and allowing for a slow build, he shows off the many fruits of his approach. Slower tempos allow for the listener to really enjoy the little flourishes he puts into his work, whether it is the sunny flourishes or riffing off of the theme. In case that wasn’t enough, the very end of the song has a blissed out outro reminiscent of an early Boards of Canada track.

                Obviously I’m looking forward to Ghostly International bringing out his full length for the summer. I haven’t paid attention to that label for a while, perhaps it is time I start doing it again.

Airliner – None LP 7.8

                 Airliner is described as “Slow Motion Funk”. Think of Boards of Canada and imagine if they decided to dabble in funk. Yes, it is that good. While Seth Haley (better known as Com Truise) has been working with these kinds of sounds for a while, this may be the best stuff I’ve heard from him yet.

                The melodies get struck in your head. Each song sounds pristine, crystal clear. Bass-wise, it is a real treat, as he focuses mostly on the deeper sounds. So when you listen, the beats hit hard. If you have headphones, I’d strongly recommend them for this album which breezes by in its 30 minutes.

                “Everyday” sounds fantastic and is probably one of my favorites. As I listen to it, I’m kind of amazed at how perfect the sounds are. It makes me wish for more a clear blue sky to look up at as it plays. This is clearly meant for warm weather and the song positively radiates warmth. My other favorite would be the longest track on here “Illuminism”. Actually, when I hear this, I’m a bit surprised at how few electronic artists are able to capture funk properly. Usually I hear something a bit overdrawn like Dam-Funk’s work. 

                Where Airliner succeeds is with the execution and editing of these songs. Melodies are memorable, the beats are great, everything’s clear, and the bass is smooth. This may be the best thing I’ve heard from Seth Haley yet, which is saying something considering all the good work he’s done. Please give this a listen on his bandcamp.