Atlus - Ultraviolet

 

Released: November 4 

Previous albums from Atlus have leaned heavily on long droning textures and more amorphous structures.  Whereas Ultraviolet takes some of those same techniques and rolls them into something a bit more structured and integrating deep rhythmic elements. By deep, in this case, I mean to say that these are not really prominent drums or percussion (although there is some of that). But rather they feel deeply intertwined into the composition rather than just an add on. A good example of this can be found on “Spectral Phenomenon.” Here, we can hear very clear the cinematic stings, hits, and percs that build a base upon which the rest of the seems to emanate from. The best way I can describe it is that the lush tones of the synths seem to be a byproduct of the percussion itself. 

But this is not always the dynamic. In fact, not even all of the tracks here have some form of percussion in them. On “Shadow Days,” any semblance of overt percussion is not present, but even with this absence there is a sort of implied rhythmic structure that contains the ambiance into a more structured form. But this may also be a fun little aural trick played on the listener as the rhythms of the previous and following tracks imprint up this track ever so subtly. 

Then there is “Transmission Erosion,” which takes the opposite approach and gives us a glitchy and surprisingly quick beat that modifies the existing synths around it, seemingly bending into submission of the rhythm. This track is definitely among my favorites on this album, primarily because of this unresolved but modest tension between the rhythm and the harmony. The harmonic elements carry on this air of serenity and peace, but the percussion mashes up against it and forces it into a more jagged and unpredictable shape. It feels a bit reminiscent of something like breakbeat colliding with ambient music but less jarring for both of the main elements.