I become a bit bored of music reviews that use the same grade-B words to describe the vague sense of music they are listening to. Words like “rhythmic” and “textured” and “aesthetically pleasing.” Ok, not so much the last one, but let’s stop now using boring words to get a grasp on a certain artist, words that do little than say “this is music, by the way.”
Aradia is beyond just a slew of baseless and vague words. Her music is melodious like any solid act, but seems to elevate to an admirable and sensational level of uniqueness. Her sound can be best described as electronic rock, but in the 21st century, this means little to nothing. Aradia is a female songstress, a producer of some of the most elegantly devised electronica/rock out of Seattle. This is a long way from grunge. Aradia’s LP ‘Possibilities’ implements science-fiction landscapes and gothic imagery into what could quite possibly be
Aradia sings with this monotone croon, giving off a moody and distanced emotive to her music. The music feels faraway, spacey, and out of touch with the immediate. This makes it mysterious, and the lyrics simply accentuate this feeling splendidly.
Some won’t fall for it. We will leave them to their Ke$ha record. Aradia sings softly on ‘M-Class,’ a repetitious claim of Ray Bradbury-level spaciness. ‘Broken’ uses truly bizarre and maybe even a little ludicrous space-influenced sounds to build the foundational of the song’s melody. It’s a treat, but a weird one.
‘Knock Knock’ is a more traditionally formatted rock/electronica tune. Aradia gets loud and vivacious, a step away from her typical energy. The song is a blast, a thumping line through one of the darkest and moodiest songs on the whole album. ‘So Long’ immediately stuck out as a real treat. It’s a pulsing though chilled song of immense power. Despite its down tuned aura, it gives off a presence that is quite large.
‘Possibilities’ is not a glamorous and highly produced masterpiece, but this is by no means a reason to skip it over. Aradia does enough new things to justify a listen through of every song. And where some songs miss the mark, the album as a whole seems to capture her aroma well, a flash-in-the-pan sensibility that recalls space, melody, and beauty with equal success. Saying she is electronic, rock, rhythmic, or interesting does little to give you something to grasp. She is sullen in all the right places, and revitalized in others. Aradia is a talent worth following deep into space.
http://www.aradiasmusic.com
http://www.facebook.com/AradiasMusic
http://www.reverbnation.com/AradiasMusic
http://www.twitter.com/AradiaOfSeattle
http://www.soundcloud.com/Aradias-Music
