The Break The Matrix trilogy of EPs are 3 songs each, making a total of 9 sweet, immaculately written, and produced synthpop delights.
As I was exploring the second “episode” of this trio of mini albums, there was one pervasive quality that kept recurring to me every minute of this miniature, 11-minute offering, and it is how hypnotic the sounds are. Moon and Aries is a duo, made by combining the efforts of German composer/producer Tom Aries, and Canadian singer/songwriter Jordana Moon, with Cologne being their base of operations.
The first cut on this brilliant little release is called Codes and Circles, and it is an apt introduction to the delirium-inducing sound of this duo. A slow tempo with puffy, trippy drum modeling, snappy, clicky, percussive synths, an expansive, airy pad, and a lush, smooth-as-silk arrangement of delicious synthetic strings. Combine this with Jordana Moon’s poetic lyrics, charged with spirituality and introspection, and layered intelligently, with rich harmonies, and a delicate, distinctive delivery and the result is one captivating piece of satisfying, hypnotic Synthpop. I’m pleased to report that the second cut, The Butterfly Effect, offers more of the same goodness. This time with a more restrained treatment of electronics, in favor of a more direct, melancholic composition, and a vocal part that’s more focused and prominent. The composition is still cyclical and the drums sound just as crunchy and soothing, for a sound that’s just as hypnotic. Rescued tries to break the mold with a more expansive sound. The arena-sized synths and the most familiar-sounding chord progression yet work amazingly with the lush vocal layering and the massive, timeless synth sounds. Ultimately, it offers the same package as the 2 prior cuts, and I have nothing against it, this makes it 3-out-of-3 for me.
Moon and Aries’s second episode of the ‘Break The Matrix’ trilogy hugely compelled me to try out the first one, and I’ll be waiting for the third episode. The sound is tight, enjoyable, timelessly familiar, and brilliantly arranged and produced. 3 sublime songs.