Triboulois - Alone On Mars

 Released: July 2

What really stood out about this album for me was the sense that there is just something charmingly off-kilter about it. Synth lines that don’t quite match up to the beats, errant little licks spread about, and a rather free improvisation vibe that maintains a certain level of grounding in it. I think one of the best examples comes on the fourth track “Loneliness.” There’s that very steady rock beat behind it all but the appropriately lonely sounding synth plays out this line that feels like it’s just not quite synced in a way that beautifully accentuates the longing sound of it. It definitely stands out as one of my favorites here amount the others. 

The whole album has a certain desperation to it, which is quite reflective of its source of inspiration - a film named “Alone on Mars.” Every track really captures the essence of this concept quite well. There’s plenty of synthesized sound that convey a roughly sci-fi vibe. But the point doesn’t really seem to be another sci-fi movie, it is to capture the true essence of being alone and having hope to carry on, with a science fiction backdrop. With this, the compositions really pick up on this and that aforementioned off-kilter feeling really solidifies this vibe, even when the vibe feels surprising cheerful like on “Meeting.”

The album tells a wonderfully succinct story, even if you are unfamiliar with the film it is based on, which I very much am. But from the beginning to the end, it takes us through a sense of wonderment at the alien landscape it represents. Starting out with a sense of energy and mystery and slowly moving us towards a middle that conveys the exhaustion, the solitude, a the longing for another soul to share the experience with. But the album doesn’t leave us on this. Instead it leaves us on a hopeful note that we (or our explorer we are following) won’t have to end our days in solitude with “The Hope” and “The End,” the latter of which comes across as almost whimsical as well as elated. It’s an excellent little short story that leaves enough for the listener to imagine while effectively communicating the ups and downs of the journey.