This is very good music.

Jenn Vix is an artist from Rhode Island in the U.S., and when I first received this album, I put it on immediately, as I had become very intrigued before even hearing any of her music. When I first heard about it, it seemed to be almost exactly what I usually like in this area of trip hop, and it didn’t disappoint. It has many cues and subtleties, and often blends and transcends different types of electronic music, ranging from crunchy industrial, to soft, flowing tracks. A dark undertone inhabits the whole album though.

 

The first track, “Doll Heart”, sets a hard-edged tone for the album, with venomous yet soft-spoken lyrics, and a synth and distorted guitar combo laying down the basic melody. The second track, “Stuck”, (dedicated to “the Nons”) is slightly lighter fare (sonically), with just a soft, steady beat and a couple of notes played on the recurring instruments, synth and guitar. Gorgeous vocals inhabit the song as well.

 

The third song, “Open Your Eyes”, goes back to the darker sound with a faster, more trance-esque beat, but despite that, has fairly lighthearted, even uplifting lyrics. The fourth track, called “Broken Angels Singing”, is probably my favorite track, with a fast and driven melody, and a tireless “Thump-thump-thump-thump” beat, and lyrics that are dark and ominous, but of course in a good way. Nimbus, the next song, is a very pretty instrumental number, and is very easy to zone out to.

 

After that comes track six, called Wires and a Dream. This song is also one of the highlights of the album. Soft, slow, and chilled, it’s a somber song, but not without some life to it. After that is a track titled simply, Dirt. One of the prettier songs on the album, it has an almost ethereal sound to it, which makes it great to lose yourself in. The eighth song on the album is called “Electronic Tribute To Toshiro Mifune.” It’s a solid instrumental track.

 

After that, comes “Sunrise of the Mind”, which has a very lighthearted sound to it, with a twinkling synth in the background, and a fast and bright beat, although the lyrics are sung in the same urgent manner as the rest of the album, which suggests that maybe it’s not to be taken as lightly as the sound suggests. The last song is essentially a redux of “Open Your Eyes”, with guitars replacing the synth as the main melodic instrument. Just as good as the original, if not better.

 

In short, this is a very good album, with tracks that are strong enough to stand on their own, but also work well with the rest of the CD. I recommend it if you’re a fan of darker trip-hop, and goth influenced music.