b o d y l i n e - Twinkly (2016)

b o d y l i n e, b o d y l i n e is what ushered me into Vaporwave. Before I first layed my ears upon his projects like CRUISING TELEVISIONS, LIGHT DESIGN, and MOTION PICTURE I had no clue this weird music stood a real chance in the music world. Contemporary noise and stupid memes is all I thought the genre really could be. I mean, seriously, slowed down elevator music and jazz songs? This is supposed to be a groundbreaking internet phenomenon? I thought that way for a while, but then I was tuned into b o d y l i n e.

Hypnagogia is a fun word, so fun that apparently Tumblr’s built in word processor doesn’t respect it as an actual word. But beside my point, hypnagogia is described as the state in between wakefulness and sleep. And a great artist, not even strictly a Vaporwave artist, can tap into that mind state and errupt great emotional response. b o d y l i n e was the first artist to really do that for me. The raw sense of escapism to a whole other world just clicked instantaneously with me. I closed my eyes, laid down and gave his work a good hard listen. The sounds I heard were completely unreal. Completely alien, like nothing I had ever heard before. The genius use of samples in to completely original works of art, I was hooked off the bat. But without further ado, let’s take a good hard look at Twinkly.

Like any other b o d y l i n e album the first two tracks always sets a great standard and mood. Romanticism seems to be theme throughout the album, almost comparable to the styles of 蜃気楼MIRAGE in terms of sample choices, minus the lyrics, which is really cool because b o d y l i n e hasn’t delved into these waters at all in past projects.

Further delving into sample choices this also is another departure for b o d y l i n e. Most previous albums he’d release I could often describe having the long tested retro-futuristic, dream-like feel to them. But this album is much different step, the sampling here almost feels more organic, if that makes any sense. While there still are tracks that have that beloved b o d y l i n e spacey feel to them, this music seems to be more focused in melodies versus atmosphere. Here we don’t hear as many of the synths as we used to,

In complete honesty I found it rather difficult to try to form opinions on this album. I can say without a doubt in my mind that I love b o d y l i n e, and when a new album comes out I expect it to be on the highest standard. And while this has the feel of a b o d y l i n e album it’s different. We’re far past the simple loops that were heard on previous projects. The music here is becoming more complex, but almost in a weird way, that I don’t like. But don’t take that the wrong way, change is a good thing, change is what allows Vaporwave to grow and flourish. I’ve played through this album so many times now and I’m really on the fence about my opinion. I can easily say I like it, the sample choices as normal are brilliant and the music is as cohesive as ever. But compared to other projects something is missing here, you listen to other songs by him like Nautic Channel #3 , Wet Hours, Elapse, and Private Paradise and although these songs are all from different projects, they all have that surreal feel to them, they feel distant, nostalgic, and new all at the same time. This album is just missing something that those albums have. The music here is great, but it’s not quite perfect.

I like this album, it’s maybe not as perfect as I’d really hoped it would be, but b o d y l i n e is doing something new with his sound. And when you put it like that, since the music is in fact solid, I applaud. Although it doesn’t invoke the same emotions it still erupts emotion. Even though it’s different it’s still a b o d y l i n e album, there’s a high standard of quality, and it just sounds good. Simply put, this album is taking steps in a new direction, with a different pair of shoes.

Favorite Tracks: Magical Roofs, Cinema Romance, Rear Meadow, Twilight Paths, Double Glow, Leisurely Street

Twinkly on Bandcamp

b o d y l i n e on Bandcamp

Verbatim Consciousness Recordings on Bandcamp