Reconverb – Airport Oxygen Bar (Album – Cold Transmission Music)
Genre/Influences: Dream-Pop, Cold-Wave, Shoegaze.
Format: Digital, CD.
Background/Info: Reconverb is a Danish solo-project driven by Helge Vammen. After an instrumental debut album he now strikes back with a new opus, which has been produced, mixed and mastered by Portuguese artist Pedro Code.
Content: The sound of Reconverb clearly sounds as the offspring between different, but related styles. There for sure is a Cold-Wave atmosphere hanging over the production, but the songs are also injected with dark dream-Pop and elements of Shoegaze. The production of the vocals has this typical Dream-Pop/Shoegaze intonation. I sometimes get the feeling of listening to a sonic hybrid of The Cocteau Twins, The Cure and Jesus & The Mary Chain. Producer Pedro Code has been also very active singing on one of the songs, but also adding some extra sounds on a few more tracks. One of the cuts has been remixed by SYZYGYX.
+ + + : The sound formula is interesting and especially appeals for lovers of evasive dark music. The 80s influences have been perfectly incorporated creating this fuzzy, dreamy production. Music and vocals are perfectly matching, but it also sounds like a relief discovering the more charismatic vocals by producer Pedro Code.
– – – : I probably understand why the debut album was an instrumental one; the vocals aren’t bad at all, but missing passion and maybe conviction. I’m also missing a true climax in the songs.
Conclusion: Reconverb has the inspiration and I like the idea to mix different genres together, but the global writing process needs a bit more elaboration.
Best songs: “Reverse Day”, “Sour Soll”, “Behind Closed Doors”.
Rate: (6 ½).
Artist: www.facebook.com/reconverb
Label: www.coldtransmission.com / www.facebook.com/coldtransmissionmusic
About Reconverb
Reconverb is the solo project of Helge Vammen from Horsens, Denmark. Discogs lists the ten-track digital debut album “Unreversed” (2018) and the five-track EP “Heraldik” (2019), both on Cold Transmission Music, plus appearances on the label compilations “Zeitgeist Vol. 7” (2018), “Cold Transmission Family” (2020) and “Spotlight Vol. 2” (2022). The project also features on the double-CD V/A Spotlight reviewed on Side-Line in September 2020.
“Airport Oxygen Bar” was released by Cold Transmission Music on 26 February 2021 as a download and on CD. Vammen wrote and recorded the album in Horsens; Pedro Code produced, mixed and mastered it in Lisbon, Portugal. The twelve tracks are “Vanishing Paintings”, “Sour Soil”, “Eventually, We Merge”, “Increasing Rash”, “Afternoon Shift”, “Behind Closed Doors (feat. Pedro Code)”, “They Used To Be A Memory”, “Beyond Disconnection”, “Hem”, “Reverse Ray”, “97” and “Odd Birds (SYZYGYX Vocal Mix)”. Discogs lists no later Reconverb releases. “Airport Oxygen Bar” is the project’s second album and its only Side-Line review.
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