Seasonal Affective - autumn

Seasonal Affective

Autumn
self-released; 2014

3.1 out of 5

By Jamie Funk

Seasonal Affective is the solo project of Dave Strachan who just released an EP entitled Autumn. As of right now it serves as a framework for Strachan’s ideas.

It’s an instrumental EP in which the drums are programmed and the guitar and bass are organic. I have to say the programmed drums are hard to get past. They don't have dynamics and sound too perfect against the lo-fi sounding guitar and bass. Strachan does implement some good ideas here and there and you can see his ideas getting flushed out as his style evolves.

The EP begins with “Autumn,” which is an ambient piece consisting of a guitar and a couple of effects like delay and reverb. It is nothing transcending but it is decent enough. “Part 1” has a couple of inventive guitar parts but is adversely affected by the recording quality of the guitars. 

“Segue 1” is the first song where it starts coming together. Strachan creates a hazy, almost sensual-sounding landscape. The guitar and bass parts work well together. “Segue II” is stronger than “Segue 1” as he introduces elements of funk into the mix. The highlight of the EP is “Part III.” Strachan implements a solid, smooth bass line and handclaps that support his guitar picking. He layers bells on top and the song starts coming together.

There are a number of production issues throughout the album but there are also some decent starting points with this demo. At some time Strachan is going to have to stop using digital drums to take the music up a notch. Strachan still has a long way to go but has planted seeds for potential growth.

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