MAHOGANY FROG - IN THE ELECTRIC UNIVERSE

• Mahogany Frog: In The Electric Universe
      (2021, cd, USA, moonjune records)
  

Mahogany Frog's "In The Electric Universe" is another fine MoonJune Records release.
Sounding more electronic than their other albums, this one pulls you right in.
I guess the title has been well-chosen.

I like it.

Mahogany Frog's 'In The Electric Universe' is the seventh studio album - and third on MoonJune Records - by Canadian instrumental electro-psychedelic outfit Mahogany Frog. Six years in the making, the recording illustrates a foray into forms of sonic searching previously unexamined by the group. Building from approaches in orchestration captured on their 2012 effort SENNA, the group aims to create infinitely morphing waves of sound that transcend conventional perceptions of instrumentation, while simultaneously offering melodic and rhythmic closure. Utilizing the gradual unfolding of themes, extensive repetition, textural layering and crunchy, downbeat-heavy grooves, the tunes invoke a listening experience that is trance-like and hypnotic. The extensive employment of synthesized arpeggiators, often detached from the rhythm and irresolute in tempo, generate warm and disorienting backdrops to otherwise approachable structures. Tape loops and tape delay are used experimentally, highlighting decay and fragmentation. The compositions serve as foundations for melodic layering, tonal examination and deconstruction, resulting in a dynamic and colorful collection of music rich in expression, playfulness and resolve.