Nervouschain: “Weekdays” – an accomplished approach!
Guitarist, and electronic music enthusiast, Nervouschain, hails from Sydney, Australia. Brought up in a musical home as well as spending many years improving his craft on the guitar Nervouschain divides he time between a day job and spending time in his home studio recording music, which he describes as “all about mood and a deep, hypnotic groove with assisted melodies and guitar soloing…” If anything, his EP “Weekdays” holds its own with an overall sound which is fairly genre defining, it combines the elements of both raw guitar work and pumping electronic beats. The result is an expansive, crunchy, rhythmic, and unique sounding record that would work well as an action movie soundtrack too.
Practically every aspect of Nervouschain’s musicianship, from the clean cut production, the visceral electric guitars, to his synth sounds makes a genuine impact. The opening track, “Monday”, is quite possibly the best example as all of these elements are put into focus. What arises are memorable guitar riffs, infectious beats, and atmospheric synths to provide the song’s melody. It has a futuristic sound that flawlessly blends digital and electronic aspects with solid guitar riffs and wild filters that build up an amazing world for the listener to explore.
However, what ultimately sells “Weekdays” is the amount of variety that is represented in each and every track. Most, if not all of the songs are practically their own character, as no two songs sound the same throughout the entire record. Even the instrumental factions help give the EP substance and develop the record’s atmosphere while carrying the concept at the same time – which is pretty obvious considering the tracks named after each day of the week.
A self-proclaimed perfectionist, from what I can read, Nervouschain’s high level of editing and tweaking for the sake of bettering a song thankfully doesn’t do the opposite and drown the recording in an overproduced mess. Instead the songs are crisp and never overstay their welcome, with plenty of sonic deviations inside each arrangement to keep the listener’s concentration high.
Most notable in these endeavor are the tracks, “Tuesday” and “Thursday” which strongly driven by thumping and growling basses and embellished with dancing synths. What we find here is are tunes that benefit from a strong electronic backing and production that brings everything in the mix forward into the spotlight, and further strengthens the overall style of the album.
Instrumentally, Nervouschain’s accomplished approach to things brings a strong performance to the record. And is further emphasized by the cinematic closing track “Friday” where the synths played in unison, followed by the piano excursions, flourish in percussion driven segments. This eclectic blend found throughout the track works exceedingly well with the wall of strings. Much like the opening song, this one is destined to be another smart pick for any action movie soundtrack.
All throughout this recording, Nervouschain’s ambition manages to pay off. Thanks to his fantastic performances and technical skills behind the studio boards, as the EP succeeds in becoming a great debut recording and will certainly satisfy any newfound fan base. The record delivers one of the more unique and refreshing experiences of this crossover genre this year, and it also raises the question: what exactly will Nervouschain do for his next album? For the time being, all we can do is enjoy this recording! If you hop over to the artist’s website, you can actually download this album for FREE. What are you waiting for?
