Time Capsule is one of those albums that make you wish your journey was a bit longer. The music fits so well with rolling hills and distant dark mountains. Flocks of birds appear suddenly and gracefully; it’s time to daydream!
JEAN is a singer-songwriter who creates all his work from the ground up by himself. Time Capsule is his debut album and it features 11 dreamy tracks written, produced and even sung by JEAN himself. Not just that, even the album art and the promo video for the album are also JEANS own creations. Time Capsule according to JEAN is inspired and dedicated to the people that have had the most impact on his life. This includes his beloved late mother, who’s middle name is JEAN. Just as the name of the album suggests, Time Capsule is a collection of memories from JEAN’s life. Listening to every track feels like going through an old family photo album.
If “The X-Files” ever chose to explore the early-1990s rave scene—truly, a bunch of kids wiggling around to alien noises in rural fields would’ve proven fertile ground. This is the exact image that the first track of the album Black Holes paints.
‘Paradox’ has swampy synth pads and shaman-y samples lending the album a rave-y feel. As if all the hokum of early-90s techno-gypsies like Spiral Tribe has been distilled so that you can experience a crusty field rave while browsing Twitter.
Here on the album starts to focus more on the vocals of JEAN. Wonderful effects on the vocals gives an ethereal feel to his voice. The nostalgic guitar work gives this track a slightly rock feel but JEAN’s voice takes the main stage in this track.
JEAN finds an earworm worthy of his fantastic, mystical music and sends it wriggling through our ears in the next few tracks. ‘Anymore/Letter to you’ is a sudden change in the album. It starts of with just some acoustic guitar and pads with gentle vocals from JEAN. There is a break with just a narration from JEAN which solidifies the storyline of the album and entrances the listener. Its like watching a movie through your ears.
Now with ‘Windows’, JEAN gets back on track after a psychedelic break in the album. It’s a very comforting track and I can’t get over how good his voice sounds. I cannot stress on the word ‘soothing’ enough. That with masterful production and guitar work comes together in this wonderfully chill daydream track.
‘Mirage’! What a perfectly named track. An illusion within the album. A serene track with hardcore melodies softened by a hefty reverb making it just as tricky as a Mirage. Am I really hearing this?
JEAN is unique amongst most producers in that he invariably cares more about melody than rhythm. Most of his tracks feature a bog-standard 4/4 beat, with all of the sternum-popping compressed kicks and ticklish hi-hats we’ve come to expect. It’s a very Detroit way of constructing tracks, but with a charming psychedelic space jazz feel.
JEAN’s melodies are luxe and abundant, and he stretches them over his simple rhythms with the fastidiousness of someone cinching sheets over a made bed. JEAN definitely makes dance music, employing all of the proper idioms and tempos and textures necessary for inclusion in that sphere, but the balance of melody and rhythm in his work—especially on his albums—can make it seem like he merely chose the most socially acceptable forum in which to generate spaceship noises.
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Discovered via http://musosoup.com
Promotional Disclaimer: The content in this post has been sponsored by the artist, label, or PR representative to help promote their work.
