*REVIEW* TYCHO-EPOCH

 7.5/10

If I'm to be completely honest, anything dubbed as IDM, chillwave, new age, ambient, deep house etc, has to be listened to, to fully appreciate or understand what that actually means to the music. 

TYCHO, the project of photographer and musician Scott Hansen, has been active for the best part of 10 years. His releases have all kept within the frameworks of these so-called "sub genres". Like someone touting that which is called "electronic music" it's more of an umbrella term. It could mean all of the above, or none at all.

The latest "EPOCH" doesn't tend to break new ground too much, but establishes itself as a very solid album with sound arrangements and confidant instrumentation.

The thing I've always like about TYCHO, is the organic instrumentation woven into analogue synths and programmed beats. Again it's been done before, but it really does it well and is engaging enough to not feel like a retread.

The opener "Glider", has a Tangerine Dream vibe to it, with pulsing bass lines propelled by a tight motorik beat. Really nice opener. 

It sets the tone for the album. Throughout we have the pseudo :"fender rhoades" keys sounds which have been a part of most of TYCHO's recordings.

Another late album highlight "Local" mixes a nice downtempo beat with giddy high pitched analogue  synth leads which meld very nicely with the guitar on this one. 

The guitars on EPOCH, (and all the other TYCHO recordings for that matter) really remind me of something you would hear on a FOALS album, that reverb heavy glassy sound that permeates through their music. I have always enjoyed the guitars on their albums. 

We never really hit anything quicker than mid tempo on this one, but that has also been a prominent element in TYCHO's discography.

The structure of this album is also interesting. The first half is front loaded with lengthier tracks, while the second half has the shorter cuts on the track listing, although this doesn't really make the shorter tracks flash by. I think the music and it's very nature makes you feel like you are in suspended animation, so song durations never really count for much, just something I find interesting to note.

Arpeggiated synths, four to the floor beats, silky guitar lines are all apart of the standard fare here. 

Make no mistake, this release pales in comparison to some earlier efforts, most notably 2011's "Dive" which somehow (although I hope not) will never be surpassed. 

If you are wanting something more adventurous of this elk, most risk for reward, you will probably have to look elsewhere. This one goes with the flow, you may want to try Oneohtrix Point Never or Nicolas Jaar for more game-changing types of intent. 

"EPOCH" doesn't really hit a crescendo, it's like a calm lake. You're never really floating downstream, or upstream for that matter. You're on the even flow. 

A competent release that is engaging without being too spectacular. Still a lot to like here.

Callan Cummings.