Teen Daze – All Of Us, Together
Lefse Records: 2012
Stepping over the faded coattails of the chillwave genre, Teen Daze releases his sophomore album, All Of Us, Together, another instrumental that is sure to be sampled on summer playlists and indie art films about picking dandelions. The album is not bad by any means. It exists as a more evolved final draft, fixing most shortcomings in his 2011 release, A Silent Planet. The pace on this album is just a little quicker, the hooks are a little hookier, and the vibe is just a little more—beat heavy.
Beats on All of Us, Together play a much larger role than previous work. They seem to break through the ethereal noise boredom that many chillwave artists slather on. The newfound appreciation for clarity is noticed from the very first track, “Treten”. It’s beyond danceable. In fact, this whole album is dance worthy. I did not dance to this album myself, but I did take it for a run. The beats on this album were calibrated, I think, to perfectly complement a mellow jogging pace.
Do not place this album too close with other chillwave artists’ albums. Yes, there is still that laptop vibe, but the dead-pulse feeling, like you’re sinking deeper into a heroin overdose, is replaced with lively exuberance. This album is really fish food for producers. Teen Daze is, one should note, the moniker for producer Jamison—whose work should not be pigeonholed. His other works, such as remix tracks for Seven Saturday and side project Two Bicycles have kept me from pinning down Jamison as a genre-specific artist.
The only setback from these of tracks, which are drawn out like taffy, is the repetitive nature of all-to-similar beats. Listening to this entire album in the stationary position instills some boredom. It’s too symmetrical, which was not a problem on the EP A Silent Planet. Those who enjoy this album should explore the Canadians other works. I was presently surprised by what lies beneath the tip of the iceberg that is All Of Us, Together.
3 out of 5
Might be a double comment but w.e., anyways, I get what your saying, good point, and i see why you wouldnt put that explanation in the review, but things can get a little confusing, thanks.
I’m not convinced that an artist creates an album based on the confines of that album’s genre. I’m convinced that Jamison created this album with symmetry, or a fluid sound/theme in mind. If that was his intention, he nailed it. If you listen to his other works, then compare it to this album there is an obvious variety to his talents. Of course, you could take this album down to the macro level and pick apart every atom until the pattern breaks up. But on a macro scale this album has less variety than, let’s say, Neon Indian’s “Era Extrana.” http://potholesinmyblog.flywheelsites.com/neon-indian-era-extrana/
Thanks for the “feedback.”
But why? Why can’t artists in this genre do more to add some variety to their sound. And while I love Teen Daze at times, I have to agree with Erik. Some of these songs were far too long.
when reviewing chillwave esque mp3s be prepared to not say, “all these songs sound the same”..srsly bro