Illusion of Perfection - Putting the Magic back into Trance
Here's a fun fact: I love trance music. It's one of my favorite genres for just about any occasion or mood. Even typing this, I'm listening to the most recent album by prominent up-and-coming musician, Spencer Brown. It got me excited enough to prompt a deeper look at the album and trance as a whole.
First off, if you're new to trance, probably the easiest gateway is via radio streams and podcasts, with the two big boys being Above and Beyond's "Group Therapy" show and Armin Van Buuren's "A State of Trance" radio production. Every episode for each is about 2 hours long and there's a new one EVERY WEEK, which is pretty awesome since the amount of repeat music each week is maybe only a couple songs. The progression of music is also continuous, which is a format standard for trance since it's specifically designed to blend songs seamlessly for that "dance club" experience (also because it's, you know, mostly played in dance clubs).
Probably one of the leading criticisms for trance (and most styles of electronica) is that the music all sounds pretty identical, and that's a fair remark: most trance music is built out of a formula that plays around softer, rhythmic electronic sounds with little instrumentality and usually hovering around that juicy 120 BPM range for easy blending and casual listening. But don't be fooled; I'd make the counterpoint that trance, like many forms of music, equally rewards an active listener, with every artist bringing their own little nuances to the genre in a way that makes for uniquely mystifying tones, harmonies and sound/instrument choices. I actually love how great trance is able to be for both the casual and veteran consumer in that regard, setting a tone that isn't all that challenging but still has plenty of room for expression. Still, as a veteran consumer with over 12 years of listening, I've come to develop a preference for some artists over others. I love Above and Beyond's use of acoustics and lyrics (via lovely voice talents like Justine Suissa and Zoe Johnston), Mat Zo's incredibly sharp and vivid sound choices that give a strong edge to his work, Armin Van Buuren's use of tonal focus and classic sounds, and now Spencer Brown with his melodic and hypnotically ambient take on the genre, most evident in his newest LP, Illusion of Perfection.
When identifying the strengths of individual songs, it's important to remember that Illusion of Perfection (like most other trance albums) is designed to be heard as one continuous track. It's easy to think of the experience like a story, with peaks and valleys that chart shifting tones and ideas. The energetic vibe delivered with songs like "I'll Never" and "Nightwalk" are nicely contrasted with calmer, luminous tracks like "Airplane Tekno" and "J2". Songs with a mature tone like the strong "Audio" or the daunting "Will I Ever Find Love" are offset with wonderful, playful tracks like "waves.wav" and "Bill Graham". As one continuous track, it shifts from calm, to energetic, to serious, to whimsical, and ends with majestic. There's a fantastic sense of "flow" to Spencer Brown's work, and Illusion of Perfection is one of my favorite examples in the genre of managing tone to really showcase that flow. All this, combined with Brown's fantastic incorporation of solid acoustic choices and idiophonic sounds that ring throughout, creates music that feels imbued with magic and wonder.
What awe-strikes me is the realization that Spencer Brown is still so young and early in his career, having dropped this killer album at only 24 years young. If he's showing this much talent and freshness in his work now, I can't even imagine what this conversation will even look like in 10 years, let alone how it will feel. There's such an effective combination of subtly and ambiance that create this downright delicious sound that I can't wait to devour, again and again, and I have been. I think I've listened to the whole affair at least twelve times in the last few weeks, and not often as background filler but as something I listen to with intent. I love the feeling that's left behind when I take in Illusion of Perfection; it reinforces my desire to keep creating, if only to take a stab at replicating the magic he already understands. How will it affect you?
