Shades of Thunder - Big Break
Review by Karl Magi
Overall Album Impressions
Shades of Thunder’s Big Break is an ear pleasing journey through nostalgic landscapes woven in a tapestry of fascinating synth sounds, intricate guitar and melodic beauty. Shades of Thunder creates a host of charming sketches of the sense of wonder and carefree youth that we all either wish we had or want to look back on with this album.
One of the big draws for me on Big Break is the way in which Shades Of Thunder utilizes synth sounds. It's clear to me that they took their time in choosing the best synth tones, textures and timbres to suit each track. Their care results in music that unfolds with beauty as it holds my attention. Each sound weaves with the others to create an auditory journey.
I'd also like to cite the guitar work on Big Break for the strong way in which it shapes the album. The guitar is characterful and played with panache as it moves through the tracks. Again I feel that care was taken to ensure that the guitar tones match the emotional tenor of the tracks on which it appears. The feelings expressed are deepened by the guitar performances.
The melodic writing on Big Break is another strong element in my view. The melodies are wonderfully composed and carry the feelings of nostalgia and positive remembrance out through the album. I enjoy the memorable nature of the melodies, steeped as they are in deeply expressive feelings. I am carried away by them.
My Favourite Tracks Analyzed
“School’s Out” kicks off with cleanly rebounding drums and the sound of school hallways. The drum beat is crisp and adds dynamic motion. a solid bass pulse Rumbles in undulating lines as a steady glow fills the background. round sounding notes with an uplifting quality climb into the music has the drums rebound and throb.
The brilliant guitar captures delight and tenderness as the low end shapes the music. A glistening synth spins out with warmth as the sound of children’s laughter moves through the music. Rippling panpipes float in arpeggiating lines that add a delicate quality. The sound of a game system starting comes in as the drums are muted in the background.
After a flourish, the drums and bass return to full strength and the melody is encouraging along with lightly touching, breathy synth. I find myself harking back to the days of blissful relaxation after school is over for the summer as the melody unfolds. The track ends on the drums throbbing out of the silence.
Solidly pounding drums and ethereal, metallic notes ring to start “Airborne.” The drums and bass become more insistent while richly flaring notes fill the track with a floating, light quality. The drums rebound and gigantic bass undulates through the music as freely turning, medium-high notes spin out.
Broadly swelling chords playing through the music with incandescence filling them. An announcement welcomes us to New Retrowave Airlines and bids us to enjoy a return to our youth. The drums and bass are matched with worshipful chords flowing into the track before an electric guitar unfolds in a melody that touches me with its nostalgic dreaming quality.
Chimes touch the music with tentative lightness as the bass oscillates with a laid-back quality. The guitar carries deep expression as it leaps out, painting a picture of energetic positivity. The track ends on a unctuous tide of lambent synth.
“Shoreline” opens as the waves wash and a distant bass throb floats while seabirds call. The track swells into clarity on a glittering synth that hovers before a freely cruising drum beat comes in to guide the music.
The drums are sharp and clean as distantly diaphanous notes slide with a peaceful, relaxing feeling. Gleaming notes flutter through the music as the low end pulses. A vocal synth sings out with a caressing quality before the celebratory, playful guitar comes in.
I find the effervescence and ear pleasing fun in the music infectious here. Flaring synth leaps as the background choir adds uplift. Hints of a saxophone glide through the music while sonic layers swirl together in an easy motion before the track ends.
Water splashes and a steady background sound adds soft-edged luminosity to start “Dancing in the Tide.” Lush bass undulates as echoing guitar floats out in a gossamer wash as the shaping drums come in. Pipi Gogerl has a soothing delivery, her voice carrying a melody full of rose-tinted remembrance. Pipi Gogerl’s vocals have a wonderfully sensual feeling as they unfold, carrying a gracefully drifting melody.
The chorus glows with enfolding tenderness as the drums and bass add form to the music. Pipi Gogerl captures summer feelings and youthful affection within her voice. Seagulls cry as the ever so lightly touching synth slips through the background. The twanging guitar flows with consummate tranquility as the bass continues to oscillate.
Pipi Gogerl has an easygoing feeling in her delivery that adds to the dreamy quality within this song. The track comes to an end with a feeling of total peace.The narrator talks about how she will "cool my feet and sit still" on the first day of a vacation. She sighs with enjoyment at the feeling that comes over her. The sun will fall across her face and "the worries of the past shall be erased."
Our storyteller speaks of two gazes meeting across the room as she and the song's subject coyly glance at each other while knowing that "they wanna be caught." Despite seeming shy, they both know that they’ll "dance in the tide tonight."
The narrator points out that she's found herself in a different world free of worry. There's nothing for her to change now so she can enjoy "enchanted nights, where there is no hurry" and she and the other person have time to embrace one another.
A week has passed for the storyteller and she doesn't know why she feels so ecstatic as she and the song's subject spend time together "in the moonshine, late at night, trying to collect the pieces of our souls. "
“Snuggle Up!” commences with gossamer synth moving in slow waves as a rich bass pulse moves below. The snare drum and kick drum come in and propel the track forward with a strong heartbeat as the pastel hued synth undulates. Now radiant synth flickers in briefly as the steady pattern oscillates underneath.
Leaping notes twirl through the music as the low end keeps up a shaping motion and the echoing notes flow past. Sweeping winds slide along with broadly washing bass while rounded, expansive notes shine out. Affection bursts from every musical pore of this track and draws me in with its touching elation.
The drums and bass guide the music forward as vibrating synth frolics through the music and glittering notes intertwine. Computerized sounds flit past while open percussion dances along with the drum beat. The track ends on a soothing drift into silence.
“Childhood Dreams” opens with a lustrous, luscious synth carrying a tender melody full of wide-eyed optimism. The hollow percussion moves with an easy flow and the bass laps against it in smooth waves.
The melody unfolds as it carries with it wishes for a return to simpler, kinder seeming times. A wide-sounding, bending synth slides with a soothing melody as flashing chimes jump out into the track. The percussion is a fluently guiding pulse underneath the delicately hopeful melody.
I am enamoured of the sensations of being held softly in wistful dreams of the past by this track. The bass glides with silken ease while the melody entangles with a glow before the track ends.
A distant sounding drumbeat smoothly floats as bass drops to kick off “Aegean Sunrise.” Now the drums come in with strength as a scudding, glistening synth pulse moves in a long flow. The drums are powerful as the bass throbs while a fluting synth drifts past.
Now the drums have a martial pulse to them as a wordless voice cries out in a ghostly melodic pattern. Rapidly oscillating synth trickles along with the massively pounding drums as the dramatic expression of majesty fills the melody. The drums flourish and launch into a beat that propels the music forward with insistent muscle.
Trickling synth trips through the music and widely echoing, haunting chords add an enigmatic sensation that draws me further into the track. The drums punch with conviction as the track comes to an end on softly echoing notes.
“Forever Tonight” begins with flickering, distant notes drifting out into openness. there's a tentative trailing quality as they float and now a steady bass oscillation moves into the track. I am washed with calm by the lightly touching notes as the drums and bass throb below. There's a propulsive bounce in the low end as scintillating notes flash out in a matching pulse. I am partial to the dancing quality in the music here.
The guitar sings with laid back smoothness, despite the slicing tone. The drums and bass continue to push forward vigorously as the guitar flies out with animate joy. Drums thunder with galvanizing strength as glimmering notes curl together above them. Sunlit brightness flares outwards as quickly tumbling arpeggios fall through the track. The shining synth coruscates as the drums keep up a heartbeat.
I am enamoured of the happily leaping synth as it spins out through the music. After the drums batter and flourish, the guitar melody calls out with consummate exaltation. The drums and bass keep everything moving as the guitar calls out to me with carefree abandon. The track fades on quickly flickering, softly surrounding notes.
Varied, open sounding percussion forms a steadily driving heartbeat as bass towers in the distance to bring “Everlasting Memories” to life. A synth choir slips in the background as ominous bass surges forward and massive drums burst in a slow and intense pulse.
Irradiating notes rise high above the choir and threatening bass. A synth imbued with noble strength climbs above the bursting drums and a continual bass throb. The choir contributes dramatic reverence as shadowed arpeggios spin. I am pulled in by the incredible intensity and surging darkness here.
The drums form a colossal beat as the guitar carries a melody climbing to the stars with orchestral nobility and deep power as strings dance in angular lines. Higher and higher the track arcs as all of the elements loom with tremendous muscle before silence falls.
Conclusion
Big Break is full of entertainment, auditory storytelling and melodic richness. It is a slice of classic retrowave that grabs me by the lapels and won't let go. It is one of those albums that I could go back and listen to over and over again and never get bored.
