2022 - South Korea
Emo, Shoegaze, Indie Rock, Post-Rock
Parannoul: dark thoughts, a musical vortex made of screams, alarms, shoegaze and emo influences. Mydreamfever: bright hope, healing through New Age and nature sounds. I always wondered how the Korean artist working under both of those alias would evolve, since I felt that his major ideas already peaked. This week, Parannoul doesn’t answer to this question directly since his new EP was recorded with another artist from the New Emo scene, Asian Glow. The Longinus Recordings Universe continues its expansion with two brilliant artists working together for the first time, after sharing the same space on their collaborative album Downfall of the Neon Youth alongside with sonhos tomam conta. The common subject between those musicians is their use of music as a space to reunite many places, Earth, dreams, the human psyche, everything merges into one single place we access through their music. With Paraglow, two voices wanders inbetween these worlds, trying to figure out how to free themselves from the swamp (Neoup), how to go back to the landscapes of beauty they once visited.
Multiple complex thoughts, multiple complex sounds.
For two artists who started working by themselves, Paraglow turns out to be a true masterclass of musicianship. After Cull Ficle and To See the Next Part of the Dream, it’s absolutely impressive how organic this album feels. And this is mostly due to one instrument : strings. Especially on Hands and Neoup, Asian Glow and Parannoul incorporates strings inside of their emo/shoegaze sound and it works brilliantly, giving the atmosphere a more down-to-Earth feeling. The other instrument immediately noticeable (for instance in the beginning of The Light Side of the Eyes) is the drums. Drumming patterns in this EP sound more refreshing than they ever did because of the numerous rhytmic phrases used all over the four music pieces. That’s when I reminded myself that this music was only composed by two people, and the power and density they manage to unleash within only four tracks is astonishing. Now I’ve been voluntarly avoiding mentioning the last track off the EP, Wheel, because this one goes way beyond anything the first three tracks can achieve.
During 14 minutes, Parannoul and Asian Glow create one of the most impressive song they ever recorded. Divided into several movements, the shapeshifting song reminds us of the shapeshifting nature of Parannoul, while keeping the strength and talent of Asian Glow. There’s not a single weak moment within the whole song, a journey into sonically brand new places. No more distant images, no more Earth, no more dreams, no more swamp, it’s all in the sound. Two voices, four hands, strings, multiple instruments, it’s symphonic. And towards the end, after a small break, the drums come back. How powerful those drums sound, relentless, unstoppable, on marching orders. It goes up and up and… six seconds of silence. The use of silence in music is a very risky move, but when it’s done correctly, it can be one of the most moving tool you’ll hear. Six seconds of silence following the line « Don’t be sad, I’m just drowning in the waves », six seconds when you just rest in awe after the delirious typhoon that just battered our eardrums. With this track, they continue to push boundaries of emo and shoegaze music, delivering a tremedous collaborative work.
Multiple complex thoughts, multiple complex sounds.
For two artists who started working by themselves, Paraglow turns out to be a true masterclass of musicianship. After Cull Ficle and To See the Next Part of the Dream, it’s absolutely impressive how organic this album feels. And this is mostly due to one instrument : strings. Especially on Hands and Neoup, Asian Glow and Parannoul incorporates strings inside of their emo/shoegaze sound and it works brilliantly, giving the atmosphere a more down-to-Earth feeling. The other instrument immediately noticeable (for instance in the beginning of The Light Side of the Eyes) is the drums. Drumming patterns in this EP sound more refreshing than they ever did because of the numerous rhytmic phrases used all over the four music pieces. That’s when I reminded myself that this music was only composed by two people, and the power and density they manage to unleash within only four tracks is astonishing. Now I’ve been voluntarly avoiding mentioning the last track off the EP, Wheel, because this one goes way beyond anything the first three tracks can achieve.
During 14 minutes, Parannoul and Asian Glow create one of the most impressive song they ever recorded. Divided into several movements, the shapeshifting song reminds us of the shapeshifting nature of Parannoul, while keeping the strength and talent of Asian Glow. There’s not a single weak moment within the whole song, a journey into sonically brand new places. No more distant images, no more Earth, no more dreams, no more swamp, it’s all in the sound. Two voices, four hands, strings, multiple instruments, it’s symphonic. And towards the end, after a small break, the drums come back. How powerful those drums sound, relentless, unstoppable, on marching orders. It goes up and up and… six seconds of silence. The use of silence in music is a very risky move, but when it’s done correctly, it can be one of the most moving tool you’ll hear. Six seconds of silence following the line « Don’t be sad, I’m just drowning in the waves », six seconds when you just rest in awe after the delirious typhoon that just battered our eardrums. With this track, they continue to push boundaries of emo and shoegaze music, delivering a tremedous collaborative work.