Acidic Base Lights Things Up on New LP Purple Skies
By Deuce
Perhaps Acidic Base is just precocious. After all, there aren’t too many 12-year-olds in the eighth grade, and even fewer who worked at the age of nine as the youngest tour guide ever at the Volo Bog State Natural Area while learning to be a naturalist. In addition to these feats, the fledgling music composer/producer/pianist/guitarist known as Siddharth Goswami, who also happens to dabble in string instruments, saved his most sophisticated act for last month, when he dropped his debut album, Purple Skies.
Comprised of eight tracks, no skits, and just under 40 minutes of music, Purple Skies is notable for a few reasons. It boasts a pair of eight minute oeuvres and a six-minute one. One of the tunes is entitled “Halcyon” (did you have any idea what that word meant when you were 12? Do you even now?). Another is an aural retelling of the disaster and fallout at Chernobyl decades ago. And, the long player’s solely populated by the brainchild of Goswami, who’s responsible for every note, sonic manipulation, and reverberating effect.
There’s an unmistakably electronic feel to the album as a whole, which varies from sounding like 80’s video games to algorithmic sound structures found on any variety of music programs existent today. The good old ‘four on the floor’ drum pattern predominates most of the numbers, certainly giving the people more of what many of them are already clamoring for. There’s even the distant sounding of a guitar or two throughout the collection, as well as a few noticeable piano chords scattered throughout the tracks. Still, the overall vibe is one of EDM and some of the more rudimentary aspects of house music, with a couple of super ridiculously fat snares to liven things up between the lengthy build-ups and dramatic intros on most of the songs.
“Omnidirectional Hyperjet” is likely the most sophisticated tune on the album, with multiple layers of sounds washing over listeners. On more than one track the reverb almost drown out the drums, particularly on “Cherynobyl”. Nonetheless, this work is a great starting point for one more than likely destined to become a professional musician, and who should only improve with time.
