RxRy - VAEIOUWLS (Self-Released, 2010)

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The idea of a “bedroom” album has always fascinated me. It's much too easy to associate the genre and sound with the melodic lullabies and folkloric feel of the mysterious childhood sanctuaries we once all inhabited. In reality, for twenty and thirty-somethings, bedrooms exist as entirely different entities — ones that harbor both adolescent desires and the sublime darkness of sleep, and serve to block out the harsh realities of the 'real world' that linger just beyond the door. RxRy, with his elusive persona and sound, produces tracks full of the same mystery and apprehension that inhabit our bedrooms, and ends up making music truly worthy of the “bedroom” tag.

Like dubstep visionary Burial before him, RxRy creates music under the veil of anonymity, and with anonymity comes speculation, and, inevitably, a heightened importance placed on moniker rather than an artist's live performance or public image. In turn, whether intentionally or not, this somewhat arbitrary namesake comes to be the face of the musician, and shapes the public's perception of both man and music. Where Burial's songs come off as appropriately distant and macabre, RxRy (Rx [drugs / prescription / also: rex = king], Ry [ray = concentrated vibrations extending outward from a single point ] - as he clarifies in his blog) conjures a completely alien ambient environment; one that's able to simultaneously induce sedation and provoke a cascade of thoughts and ideas. On VAEIOUWLS, his second LP of 2010, RxRy showcases this penchant for sonic creativity across ten sprawling tracks.

The songs themselves do well to characterize sleep-- in all of its glorious and devious forms-- as well as the alternating poles of mania and depression that can stem from pent up in a room for hours on end. The album's first three songs glide together effortlessly, with ethereal keyboards traveling just beneath the surface of a bed of fuzz and delayed claps and clacks, just like the hazy, semi-conscious time that precedes a night's sleep. Then, as if instantly slipping into a mentally taxing dream, “EIIOA (flint rasp export defect),” begins frantically with a bouncing IDM beat that's built upon by a flurry of sharp samples and a quick paced, yet unpredictable synth line. The following track, “AAIEI (alpha reply dagger signal),” and its down-tempo feel plays like a necessary relaxant amongst the unpredictable landscape of the former.

The album continues to weave its way through murky waters as an ever-expanding mold of tape hiss and bass synths ebb and flow in RxRy's solitary world. On “IIOYI (strategy pulse feed loop),” easily the most accessible and fully formed song on VAEIOUWLS, RxRy uses laser-gun keyboard snaps to contrast the dark melodic underbelly we've come to recognize as his calling card. Like a dream, listening to this album can seem to take hours, yet it manages to capture and deceive, clocking in at just under forty minutes. Overall, this LP is certainly an interesting piece of work from a producer who should most definitely continue to experiment and release music, but it's also one that fails to make a lasting impact, simply due to its innate ability to numb and hypnotize.

[RxRy Myspace]
[Download VAEIOUWLS for free]

RxRy - Snw Mltr EP (Self-Released, 2010)

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Well RxRy, we meet again. It's only been--what--a month since I reviewed your first album? RxRy released Snw Mltr on Valentine's Day, the promo that was sent to me did take into account that it was Valentine's Day, and it also did make it seem like Snw Mltr was a love-themed release. Thank heavens it wasn't. However, this does feel a tad rushed. Though it is only 4 tracks and 20 minutes in length, a couple of the tracks feel like they were put together last-minute; in comparison to RxRy's fabulous debut album, this falls flat for me. By no means is this a bad EP. Snw Mltr most certainly shows effort and pride in its sound. However I feel that RxRy's further step towards dance and electronica hurts the music, slightly. Considering the amount of tracks, it's only necessary to do a track overview to analyze its flaws.

"Sw Crstl Mlts" opens and immediately flaunts its indulgence into the dance music genre with it's overtly 8-bit and upfront feel. Near the middle of the track, the 8-bit keyboard loop begins to lose it's privileges of being high in the mix. The more ethereal motifs of the song sort of take over, but some of the loops seem like they were the same loops from RxRy's debut. "Sobr Vokbulry" has a more "psychedelic" melody in the sense that it's reminiscent of artists like Ducktails or Dolphins Into The Future. The track conforms to its minimal and repetitious sensibilities, and it works. "Hllljh Snds" is one of RxRy's most calming tracks: no beats, no freaky samples (with the exception of birds chirping), just some fluttery keyboards and lush tones. I find this to be the most standout track on Snw Mltr, and I wish this was the stylistic direction RxRy took on this EP. This is followed by my least favorite track (and the closer) of the EP, "Bld Drft." The first 30 seconds really get me excited for what it has to offer (it has that ethereal kind-of feel again), but then it's countered with the badly-placed bass line. Not to mention, there's another badly-placed *16-bit this time* keyboard. The track overall has a good melodic build, but some slight track balancing could've done it much more justice.

Maybe my high hopes made my thoughts biased, maybe they didn't. Nevertheless, I think that with a little more time and effort, Snw Mltr could've been outstanding. By no means is this a bad EP, in fact I would recommend this to any electronic music fan out there. I have a lot of respect toward RxRy, and for some reason I feel as if his popularity on the blogosphere is hurting his music. This is not Noah Lennox, and you shouldn't be writing 5-word reviews of music that needs far more explanation to its sound. If executed better, I would probably love the Snw Mltr EP.

[RxRy Myspace]

[Download Snw Mltr for free]

RxRy - RxRy (Self-Released, 2010)

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RxRy is--I don't know. Much to my chagrin, I've spent a significant amount of time trying to find a hint of evidence as to who RxRy is. All I know is that this project is fairly new, judging by the fact that this is the only album I could find by this artist. But let's put an end to this musical scavenger hunt and talk about the music itself.

This album keeps a consistent atmosphere of peace and tranquility, and I'm trying my hardest not to sound like a hipster with a joint in one hand and a copy of Person Pitch in the other. I have to admit though, this will probably be known as the most blissful album of 2010. The album begins with soft soundscapes on the opening track "Baulkin Slihts" which becomes increasingly layered, yet still maintaining a light density. A pulsing beat fades in, as if it's emerging out of the cloud of keyboards, and builds into a more obvious dance rhythm. Throughout the album's middle tracks the ambience almost continues consistently, yet it's apparent that these tracks were recorded separately. This is an example of a perfect flow.

The rhythm is almost the same as the ambience, or at least it follows the same structure as the ambience does. Beats become more intricate, melodies and moods change, and field recordings are left echoing in the background. Though I guess RxRy's debut could be appropriately described as "ambient dub," there's a lot more to take into consideration; styles like glitch and drone are also incorporated. The album may even be guilty of cheese at some points, the tracks "Prajhil Ryhtm" and "Cnvrtvbl Bvbes" have a bit of a funk bass in the midst, though it strangely doesn't have a negative affect on the music. It's even safe to say that... it fits.

This combination of echoing keyboards, samples, and beats give the album this blend that molds oh so nicely, that when it's played on speakers it literally pulsates. It may sound like a simple concept--I mean there are only three things used, but this album is technical. On "Eaurowi" a constant keyboard hit jumps from the left to the right channel while a bassier keyboard melody complements it, staying on both channels. At times the music is minimal and calming, and at others it's danceable and catchy. Yet, it stays consistent in terms of mood and structure. I can't say a bad thing about it.

However, this is definitely not an original kind of sound. This has been done before. Two obvious comparisons I can make are to Tim Hecker and Growing, which I'm sure anyone would agree with when hearing this. That's not to say this doesn't add to the ambient genre though, and that it doesn't perfect what other artists have done. One thing I can point out that RxRy does differently than others is the recording technique. Instead of having a live sound, it sounds very upfront, and I wouldn't be surprised if this was just composed and recorded on a laptop, although the echo and reverb still achieve that live, resonating tone that is key in this type of music.

RxRy's debut certainly impressed me; not to that degree of where it would "change the way" I listen to music, but it left me with anxiety for what else RxRy and 2010 have to offer in the future. I highly recommend this album, especially if you have a proficient speaker system to accompany it. I wouldn't be surprised if RxRy blew up sometime this year.

[RxRy Myspace]