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‘Color in the Machine’ makes for an interested auditory journey.

Music Review: Mind the Journey – ‘Color in the Gray Machine’

Boston’s Mind The Journey is releasing a new full-length album January 5, 2016 titled Color in the Gray Machine which blends together electronica, psych rock, synth pop, and alternative in what seems to be an auditory adventure of sort meant to grab and hold onto listeners’ attention.

Two shorter, ambient-like numbers set the context. The album opens with the very short “Falling Asleep”, which is basically a collection of distorted noises. The interlude track, the almost-instrumental “Oneironaut (Interlude)” (featuring sparing warped vocals), is also short-yet-dreamy thanks to long notes held on the keyboard giving a mental image of travelling in space.

Three of the tracks feel like they could be alternative rock ones, except for the heavy doses of electronica they are infused with. In the keyboard-led “Desserts”, an up-tempo dreamy auditory ambiance is created by putting together multiple lines of drumming and high-ranging male vocals with large amounts of distortions throughout. The mid-tempo “Egophoria” features beat box-like drumming, while the slow and heavy “Delta Wave” gives a feeling of walking on a difficult path with a heavy burden on one’s shoulders.

The style of some of the other tracks comes off a little more clearly. “Dream Demon” is a mid-tempo, electric guitar-led number whose melody is harsher than any of the other tracks, edging almost towards punk rock. The mid-tempo, somewhat melancholic “Atmintis (Pass The Haze)” comes off as a very 1970s psychedelic rock featuring distorted male vocals.

Other tracks feel like mash-ups of as many genres the band could fit in. “Rose Colored Glasses”, led by warped keyboards, is accompanied by rhythmic drumming that seem to be a mix of regular strokes and brush strokes. The track has different sections that build on one another, going from almost dance-like electronic to alternative rock-tinged and even going to a psychedelic rock-imbibed ballad. Similarly “Noise Gate”, unique is its use of organ sounding keyboards, features a lot of changes and transitions between styles, moods, and beats.

Other sounds on this album include the 8-bit-tinged melody of “Interdimensional Romance” accompanied by beat box-sounding drumming, the almost dance-like rhythms of the short, instrumental “Dancing On The Sun”, and the gentle ballad-led-by-acoustic-guitar that is “Boats”. This last ones comes as quite a surprise; the track is kept stripped throughout, with layers only being added one at a time in contrast with the rest of the album that layers it up all together.

Color in the Gray Machine makes for an interested auditory journey. Tracks are available for streaming on SoundCloud. More information about the band is available on their Facebook page and on their official website.

Pictures provided by Independent Music Promotions.

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