Radio Wire Empire - Color & Colour EP
Radio Wire Empire are an indie pop group from Michigan, USA. Released on April the 18th, 2011, their Color & Colour EP was a tremendous start to their catalogue.
As the title would imply, the album is quite vibrant. Unlike most synth pop acts, the band does not overburden the stereo mix with loud pounding synths, but rather elaborate melodies and beats that interplay beautifully throughout the mix. This can most easily be observed on The Insistence of Dawn (Or, The Battle of The Backs and Their Beast), in which the timid vocals are encapsulated by a warm, fully progressive and remarkable soundscape of iridescent synths, delightfully 808’s and spontaneous intricacies. The range of moods throughout the album is rather broad, and the dynamic range of synths are grand. At times, they’re gritty and fuzzy, such as during the climax of Amaranthine Wall, and at times they’re aquatic and shimmery, such as during Young and Naked. Regardless, they’re consistently upbeat, leaving room for improvement (range of moods) in future. The exception is of course the closer, Shedding the Sheets, which masterfully incorporates a range of styles from prog rock to funk.
The ultimate compliment to the strange vocals and stimulating beats are the shredding guitars. Moreover, anytime acoustics are intertwined within the mix they steal the show; Amaranthine Wall soars during its climatic finale. Corpus of Qoholeth is also of note, though its presence is often short and leaves one desiring more. On the contrary, when the band sticks to simple pop conventions, such as during the true opener The Brave Hue, they struggle to differentiate themselves from a band such as Of Montreal; both sonically and structurally. Unfortunately, the major flaws lie within the mixing department; the album sounds fantastic on headphones, but not so much on a stereo.
What’s most impressive about Color & Colour EP is it’s fulfilling sound and individuality. All of the ideas come swimmingly together. A true standout of its era, and one deservingly to be explored in future decades.
Great
Listen to it here:
Radio Wire Empire - Color & Colour EP
