magic arrows - The Theme & Descend like dove

Magic Arrows

The Theme & Descend Like Dove
Earstroke records; 2013

4.1 out of 5

Scott Beschta aka Magic Arrows is an old veteran in the indie scene who was recognized for his release entitled Sweet Heavenly Angel of Death back in 2005, which was a guitar/sample-based album. Even more recognizable was his involvement in The Promise Ring, which had considerable mainstream success back in the late 90’s and early 2000’s. Since then he recently released The Theme, which was a record that Beschta had put out himself through a personal imprint called Lion Record back in 2005. A bonus disc called “Descend Like Dove,” which is a collection of unreleased material from the same sessions, accompanies it. The Theme is a powerful record full of unique ambient textures, synths, and samples not unlike last year’s Luxury Problem by Andy Stott. The music sounds convincingly more relevant then most albums released in this day and age because of the originality that is brought to the table. The 16 tracks on The Theme are diverse and varied which makes the journey through the songs seem shorter then it actually is.

The album opens with “Morning (midnight)” which contains a vocal sample that sounds off in the distant and starts to become fuzzy and filtered as it eventually washes away amid an ocean of ambient textures that tantalize the senses. The layers give way to a down tempo masterpiece with the second song “Uptown Devils” that introduces some rhythmatic elements as a number of sounds combine to sound like one gigantic machine chugging away in an industrial factory. Other songs like “Aegean Sea” sounded like I was taking a train ride around a dark and luminous planet not certain of where I would end up. Overall, The Theme with its bonus disc offers utterly unique soundscapes that few electronic artists can compete with.

earstroke records

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