The Eyes and the Mistoids - Luna Terra Sol

 Released: April 11

Luna Terra Sol is, sonically speaking, a very interesting juxtaposition. On the one hand, there are these very artificial textures produced by the modular synths used extensively throughout the album. On the other, there is a lush and skillfully played classical piano sound that plays along with strange and unusual textures. It quite honestly feels like two separate worlds colliding gently with one another, which is rather fitting for the thematic elements of the album. Thematically, the album is a reflection upon the vast mystery of the cosmos and humanity’s place among it. Where exactly do we fit in? Really, were we ever meant to really fit into it? Each beautiful note from the piano sings out an all too human call to which the unnatural sounding response of the synths respond. 

Now, the balance of these two elements is ever shifting in the album. “Smudge” is one of the tracks in which the keys take priority, practically leading the entire composition with little to no input from those strange synthetics. Meanwhile, “Kondratyuk’s Loop” goes in the other direction with an arp that drives the track forward with a bit of input from a somewhat tense-sounding piano that is processed to a point of being barely recognizable. But there’s others in which the balance is less lopsided. “Terra Sol” stands out as one of my personal favorites on the album with the electrical feedback sounding synth and a piano piece that carries much of the momentum, sometimes feeling as though it is actually racing about in predetermined but still quite invigorating patterns. 

I think a fun aspect of this album is that you can choose how seriously to take it. You can take it as surface level, with a sense of slight awe at the miraculous position that we as humans find ourselves in as we look into the stars on a clear night. Or you can take it as an opportunity for real reflection about the responsibility, destiny, and/or fate of humanity in cosmic terms. I prefer the latter option. But either way you take it, it is a rather beautiful and intriguing collection of pieces that effectively meld two perspectives in a wonderful sonic melange.