Galaxy Racer - The Searching

Review by Karl Magi

Overall Album Impressions

Galaxy Racer’s The Searching has cosmic power and beauty along with intricately interwoven guitar performances, memorable melodies that are emotionally engaging and a feeling of ethereal delicacy that balances out the massive low-end power. The end result is an album that carries me on a journey through sparkling stars and deep emotion.

One of the first factors that draws me to The Searching is the way in which Galaxy Racer’s use of synths and guitar paints strongly evocative, galactic imagery. There are sparkling lights and undeniably powerful moments of darkness as the album evolves. I enjoy the way in which all of the different colors, tones and textures become one intertwining, image-rich voyage.

Another intensely engaging element of The Searching is the way in which the melodies move through the music. Many of them are elegiac and moving, full of wistful emotion and a sense of melancholy. There are also moments of uplifting energy and dark drama to be found here. Each of these melodies helps tell the story of the broader album.

I also want to mention the superb guitar performances by Galaxy Racer and some of his guests on The Searching. Each melody and solo is skillfully played, full of emotive expression and strength. The guitar further intensifies the imagery and beauty of the music, helping carry me along as the sonic tapestry unfolds.

All of the guest artists on The Searching bring their own unique musical styles, each contributing to its richness. Their performances only serve to increase the meaning and power of the music. I especially enjoy Eric Krolak’s vocal performances on the album.

My Favourite Tracks Analyzed

“Embrace The Galaxy” comes into being as slowly throbbing drums move with a lusciously entangling synth that swells outward. Rippling notes dance broadly through the music as the drums burst and the background is full of misty light. The smoothly flickering synth shimmers like distant moonlight flashing on a spaceship’s hull, flowing out with easy motion.

Full, glistening chords are joined by a guitar that sings with dramatic power and the low end pulses with surging dynamism. The guitar twists through the music, glowing with cosmic luminosity as it cries out. The piano adds a rich underpinning as chimes shimmer in the distance and the guitar leaps forward, driven by the powerful drum and bass heartbeat.

The drums rebound and the track launches, pushing forward as the guitar unfolds with an arcing, adventurous melody that reaches for the stars. There’s precision and poise in the way this music moves, drawing me into it. The chiming notes tremble with a delicate touch above the colossal low-end pulse. The drums flare and the synth flies again, soloing in twisting lines and creating thrilling motion.

A choral synth moves with orchestral strings, generating a sense of majesty above the continually throbbing low end. The strings add an elegant touch to the music, which I enjoy. As the synth intertwines, dark chords add shadow and the guitar shines again, extending through the music with the brightness of a supernova. The drums tumble and the track throbs on to a conclusion.

A propulsive and deeply muscled drum and bass flow moves with glittering, interlocking synth to kick off "Far Beyond Illusion". Oscillating, slicing notes flare out as the cascading drums pound hard, launching the track with massive strength. The bright synth adds a refulgent counterpoint, while a rounded synth carries a melody full of dynamic excitement as the gigantic bass pounds.

Rapidly entangling synth cascades as brighter notes add a lustrous gleam. The relentless vigor is joined by a guitar as it erupts into an enigmatic melody that twines through the music with wild complexity. SIXMIXSIX’s solo is full of a sense of free flight in space, wheeling and spinning as the guitar rises.

The drums punch hard as the guitar howls with passion, while the bass surges below. The track ends on a melody that speaks of soaring far beyond the edges of the galaxy. Piano notes add a warmer quality as the track comes to an end.

"Fly Away [Eternity Version]" starts with a galactically swirling, lambent synth above a steadily undulating bassline. Sweeping sounds flow with laid-back smoothness as the gigantic bass continues to pulse. An elevated synth cries out as Eric Krolak’s synth vocals fill the track with delicate emotion.

A broadly twirling, glimmering synth spills out light as Eric Krolak captures the fragility and need in the lyrics. The drums pound and the bass accelerates. The drums explode as the chorus’ radiance fills the background, while the lead singer wrings out deep emotion. The low end presses forward as the caressing melody flows outward.

A synth rings with a gem-like quality, slowly undulating as the guitar punches forward along with Eric Krolak’s strong, affecting voice. Warmth washes through the music as the vocals carry the softly brushing melody. The guitar rises as the impassioned chorus leaps and the drums throb.

Soothing sounds pour from the pulsing low end as Eric Krolak emotes with deep feeling. The drums continue to punch onward, the vocals carrying on above the cascading drums as a guitar carries the yearning melody before the song fades into silence.

Our narrator asks, "What's my life and what's my name?" He wants to "fly higher through this pain" because the time is right for him to see that he'll "want for endless dreams," although he knows that journey can never happen.

The storyteller says that he'll "fade away under the starlit sky" to fall in love in space and time. He talks about being "safe away, right on the endless line." He adds that the time is right for him to see "what I saw every night in all my dreams" as he rises to the stars to fly away.

Now, the narrator reaches out for something he'll never have, adding that "time has changed our lives day by day." He asks to be taken to places he's never seen, "somewhere out in the galaxy." He wants to "fly to a world so far away, to the right I see every day."

He concludes by pointing out that another day is drifting by and adds, "I cried a million tears time after time, our bodies left behind."

Powerful, emotive piano and smoothly rippling, widely sweeping arpeggios open "In This Place [Radio Edit]." Eric Krolak's ethereal voice carries the surrounding melody, tender and full of softness.

The huge drums rebound as the synth moves in slowly slicing lines and the vocals reach out with heartfelt feeling, carrying the dreaming and aching melody. I find Eric Krolak's performance intensely engaging as he fills the song with emotion.

The drums continue to pulsate as the synth undulates with rippling smoothness while the vocals soar. The synth moves in quickly twirling motion as the song fills me with deep melancholy. A shining synth suffuses the music with sharp-edged luminosity before the electric guitar climbs, full of yearning, as the drums pulsate.

Mournful need and intensely complex sounds fill the guitar solo. The chorus floats out on Eric Krolak's deeply sensitive voice while the huge percussion continues to throb. As the song comes to an end, emotion is joined by flickering light and the guitar's gripping voice before the music fades.

The storyteller says that there's a world that nobody's seen before "under the starlight, far beyond the stars." He talks about how "millions of pieces stay close to me," but as he travels, he feels "lost and out of time." He adds that somewhere along the way, time and space have changed his life.

Our narrator says he's a million miles from home, seeking something out there. He says that "on my way into the unknown, a voice is calling me." He asks if this is a place he's been before and wonders, "what's left for me to see" in a place full of bright lights.

Now the storyteller says that as he is "fading away so far, time is gone but something's left behind." He concludes that he's going nowhere in this place he's in and "staying the night, I feel lost and lonely."

"The Searching" begins as a kick drum pounds and a dramatically tumbling synth shines with cosmic light. The drums begin to tick more quickly as the synth cascades with a minor-key glow, feeling intensely powerful.

Sharp chimes glitter with cold light as the drums heave and the shadowed notes below interweave. A guitar cries out in rapidly rippling motion, twirling out in a tension-filled melodic line. The drums launch as the darkly ominous, brassy synth calls out and a heavy percussion pulse moves in half-time. I enjoy the music’s mysterious sensation as the spinning synth ramps up a nervous feeling.

The drums continue to slam hard as the brightly flickering synth continues to swirl with live-wire energy, while smoother notes in the distance interlock and drift. The drums are truly colossal as the piano dances with elegant motion and strings move in the distance. The electric guitar calls again, bending with emotional force as it leaps upwards and gleams.

The drums rush, rebounding with weight as the guitar flies. The melody has a ghostly, wildly shredding feeling as a choral synth echoes in the distance. The guitar is a primal force here as the drums continue to throb. The bursting percussion is joined by a string-like synth that adds dark shadings, while the sparkling chimes flicker before the track comes to an end.

A slowly revolving arpeggio spins as the drums throb heavily to kick off "Supernova." The track begins to grow in momentum as the arpeggio swirls and a powerful depth fills the distance. The guitar churns with raging power as the drums batter in even pulses and a true brassy synth carries a victorious and ominous melody. The powerful percussion shapes the music as the spacey synth flows outward in graceful motion.

The rounded synth notes spread with warmth as the glittering arpeggio spins and the low end throbs. I enjoy the dreamy quality of the floating synth and the contrast with the track's massive strength. The guitar slashes with inspirational and uplifting life, the low end leaping forward as the arpeggio continues to dance.

A feeling of vastness permeates the music and the beat drives it onward. The guitar tangles in bright lines above the steadily chugging low end, adding a peaceful quality as the synth continues to swirl in the distance. The track ends with the floating synth dropping away and the guitar flashing.

“Terminal Earth” opens as a softly shifting acoustic guitar carries a gently caressing melody, while the electric guitar moves above it in a melody that is tender and tinged with pain. The drums and bass are heavy and powerful as a majestically gliding synth moves above them. The feeling of a vast star field opening in front of me is beautiful and moving as the synth slips past.

The drums burst and cascade as orchestral strings move behind the singing guitar. The melody, carried on the beautifully toned guitar, is full of hope and a sense of contemplation, while chimes sparkle and the drums rebound. The continuing entanglement of acoustic guitar is full of soothing feelings as a shaker percussion sound moves.

The electric guitar adds radiance as the melody drifts with mournful grace above the steady drumbeat. The track sings out with uplifting emotion as the strings in the distance add lusciousness and the drums pulse to an end along with chiming notes.

Conclusion

The Searching is a deeply affecting and enjoyable journey across space and time. Each of the different elements come together into one whole that draws me in and keeps me listening over and over again.