Abyssal Plains – Chimera EP

I know that I didn’t ever really get into posting reviews for a lot of kahvi releases, but there are a few that I have recently wanted to call people’s attention to. Other than the Stokes post from yesterday, these other two artists are guests to kahvi and, as far as I can tell, pretty unknown as of yet.

The release I’m looking at this time is the Chimera EP by Abyssal Plains. The best link I could find is Abyssal Plains’ MySpace which does help to clarify some of the musical influences that you will be able to hear. The style is epic and that really does define the shock I had when I heard it the first time. In all honesty, artists’ first albums usually have their moments and might be good, but it’s rarely in the entirety and rarely bringing styles together the way that really impressed me. The overall style keeps a chilled IDM feel much like you will find in chillout (not calling it chillout may be splitting hairs even).

The tracks give off a sort of airy feel that reminds me a lot of Boards of Canada or even Stuartt Elliott. It’s a very inviting and interesting sound that I really enjoy. The only problem with the airy sounds of the EP is they can sound very similar from track to track. I would like to see a bit more variety, but it is very excellent for one who is relatively new to the game. As for favorite track of the EP, I would ahve to say equilibrium. It blends a dominant electric melody over the airy backdrop with a good beat that doesn’t dominate when it shouldn’t.

Personally, I would love to see this artist expand. I think there is a lot of potential and a very good starting point. Pretty good now, but the next release by this artist will probably be fantastic.