Tangram's Music Blog

Rob Essers – Raincolors “More TD than TD”

Rob Essers is from Holland, and is a one-man Tangerine Dream army with his Electronic equipment. I’m saying this becasue it ‘s sometimes very hard to tell whether or not this is a TD album or not. Nevertheless, this is an outstanding 80’s TD style sequencing album at it’s very very best!. It has all the infectious 80’s synth elements TD had back then and more. Most of the tracks are top notch EM and sounds both innovative and interesting, and comes with a cover and artwork that represents the music very well. On the back of the CD cover you can see Rob’s studio along with some of his gear.

The opening track offers a refreshing and energetic start with great uptempo sequencing and a bass rhythm that evolves in a somewhat typical TD way, but despite that, Rob’s own creativity is always present and obvious in the mix. Next track, ‘A Walk Through’ is a stunner for sure. This is the best track on the whole CD, and I’m sure Rob was inspired by the album ‘Firestarter’ by TD when he composed this track. It could best be described as ‘Charly the Kid’  in a new dress if you will, or a ‘lost’ Firestarter track. This is awesome 80’s style sequencing at it’s finest. Can’t beat the feeling of that!. ‘Truceless’ follows up with another very typical Soundtrack like theme, and starts with some awesome synth work that slowly builds with a bouncy sequence and pads that shines nicely through the whole track. Another catchy 80’s sounding jewel!. ‘Sparkless’ is a more laid back synth track, but it has it’s moments here and there with some trippy sound effects. Then comes ‘Square One’ which is another rhythmic sequencer track that builds nicely along with a very catchy melody all the way through. ‘Luscious Feelings’ picks up and stirs our imagination with more uptempo EM. ‘Monochromatic’ has a cinematic feel with great sequencing and texture to it. One of the strongest tracks on this CD, and showcases some lush synth guitar magic. ‘Colors of Rain’ is another highlight. Again, fans of mid 80’s TD sound will delight here!. This track is indeed somehting out of the ordinary, and stands out from the rest. Great sequencing, perfectly balanced, and well structured. ‘Loosing Chains’ is a track I have mixed feelings about though. It doesn’t quite stand up there with the rest of the tracks, in terms of quality. Probably my least favorite track. ‘Electron’ on the other hand is marvelous. Starts quietly with a typical late 70’s feel. It sounds a bit like a track taken from the ‘White Eagle’ album by TD. It’s slightly ‘darker’ than the other tracks. After that comes ‘The Trivial Round Of Life’. And what can I say? Wow!. The instrumentation is arranged in beautiful harmony with long swirling sequences and pads that keeps the exitement up along with it’s melodic structure. Another favorite!. The last three tracks on the CD are ‘Bonus Tracks’. ‘The Gateway’ has a great sequencing flow, and carries the track nicely from start to finish with a subtle rhythm in the background. ‘Dream House’ is another cinematic track, almost a bit sci-fi sounding. Excellent composition!. The CD rounds off with another late 80’s sounding EM track called ‘In Locked Places’. Not my favorite, in fact, maybe my least favorite. It’s not really that bad, but it could have been a better track if it wasn’t because of it’s repetitiveness. Not too much going on, I expect more than just a melody on repeat. That said, this is more TD than TD themselves. Fans of 80’s EM won’t be dissapointed. A must-have album! 4 stars out of 5 from me.

April 1, 2010 - Posted by razors78 | General Synth Music, Progressive Electronic Music, Synth Music | rob essers