About the review

Title: Michaels Dog
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Artist: ELECTiC
Genre: Electronica: Ambient
Reviewed by: bvanoudtshoorn on April 22, 2008 (All reviews by bvanoudtshoorn)

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1Overall Description
The artist says that this is Jarre-inspired, and that's apparent. I'll explain exactly why that's so as we move through the review.

Before we go any further, though, here's a quick description of the track. Big, smooth, sweeping synth pads start the track, quickly joined by bright synth chords. The drums, when they enter, are understated, as more emphasis is placed upon the melody and harmony than the rhythm in typical Jarre style. Each instrument is carefully chosen to be clearly distinguishable, without overpowering the mix. There are some interesting vocal effects which add a lot of interest and provide a good way of giving the track an A-B-A structure.

OK, now that the description's out of the way, we can get on to the fun stuff. :) Technically, this track is well executed. The instrument selection is top notch: everything's synthed, but each instrument still has its own unique fingerprint in the mix. They blend well together, and instruments which *could* get in each other's way never play simultaneously. The introduction is well-executed, with a subtle use of sound effects and a good buildup. Rather than using the rather staid "layer upon layer upon layer" approach to writing the introduction, Electic uses instruments to introduce each other, and then take a step backward and vanish. This is a very powerful way of introducing the track, and helps it to maintain its minimalism.

Electic certainly exhibits a lot of musicality in this track. Although it's the same chord progression throughout, the interplay between instruments helps to maintain interest. As I mentioned in the description, the vocals break the track up into a nice A-B-A structure (with an intro stuck at the front). I personally believe that having a clear structure in a piece is integral to its success: generally, the listener needs to anticipate a return to something they've heard before. So by structuring the piece in classic ternary form, Electic gives the listener the opportunity to do just that.

As I've only said positive things about the track, you might be wondering why I only gave it four stars, and not five. Well, it's not due to flaws the track has, it's due to what the track *hasn't* got. And inevitably, this is because of comparisons with Jarre's music. Whilst Jarre's music tends to be somewhat minimalist, there's always a development of some sort that moves throughout the track. With this track, the development seems to falter after the melody line first enters; yes, the vocals do enter, but to my mind, they provide variation rather than development. Of course, you may disagree with me. :)

All in all, this is a really solid piece of work by Electic, and I think that it deserves a lot more attention than it's received so far. Download it, especially if you like Jarre!
 
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