Concert Review: 10/08/2013 Nine Inch Nails – Petersen Events Center

Posted on October 13, 2013 by 2020k | RJ Kozain

Nine Inch Nails Petersen Events Center Tension 2013“I grew up not too far north from here, so we all know what that’s like.” – Trent Reznor

Regardless of one’s stance on the audiophile release authenticity of the latest record by Nine Inch Nails, Hesitation Marks launches a different kind of signal in the Trent Reznor headed catalog; one becoming with maturity.

A surface level scratching of the LP certainly bespeaks conflicts in aggression; what would a Nails song be without it? However, this ninth studio release has an aerodynamic elegance to it in a way of utilizing stripped electronics and sleek moving melodic-textures to explore more bare arrangements and using space as an instrument, rather than countless layers that have prompted themselves in earlier releases. Interestingly enough, the heavy use of drum machines throws Hesitation Marks in the same vein of Electronica as the band’s 1989 debut Pretty Hate Machine, which, in a way, completes a full circle of growth and high expectations for the live show evolution that would seemingly come with it.

Tension 2013 landed itself near the heart of Oakland, near Forbes Ave at Petersen Events Center on October 8th, 2013. Mariqueen Maandig-Reznor adorably sent out an instagram celebrating an early Halloween somewhere amongst the area, while art director Rob Sheridan placed a gleefully dressed up cardboard Coors Light advertisement at center stage. Meanwhile, myself and Stacie (a good friend who introduced me to Nine Inch Nails years ago) strayed around blocks looking for coffee, smiling at the shenanigans; elated to feel the good spirits of our surroundings, as well as those involved in the show.

Inside, a melting pot of Halo 1: Down In It OGs, casual Closer fans, and post-1990’s audience members excitedly trickled into their respective general admission stances. Cross-generational Friends met at the front barriers as the lights dimmed for the opening band Explosions in the Sky. An ill-mannered “Don’t suck!” clumsily echoed from one impolite attendee’s unfiltered mouth, embarrassing the sound waves forced to bounce off the walls of the arena from the words produced by the lone spokesmen, but a becoming audience and sensible opening act silently dismissed the exclaim. Instead, the band splashed into the cinematic-alternative instrumental creations from their discography, flowing from one song to the next without much break; seamlessly interpolating songs into one another and maximizing their impression amongst the allotted stage time.

Of their six song set, “Let Me Back In” provided a specifically haunting live interpretation of the song, as the reverberated vocal samples of which thrive through the Take Care, Take Care, Take Care track were met with the same flowing room ambiance as the earlier heckler, only this time allowing the room to bounce serious artistic expression and guitar-positioned melodies throughout it. Only six songs deep in length, Explosions expressed an exuberance not so easily portrayed and created a mood so pure that the upcoming Prince Avalanche film in which they scored should prove to be an immense intense experience due to the backdrop of in the band’s Texas based talent.

Gawking at the curtained stage solidified an anticipation more severe than the wait after Street Sweeper Social Club’s opening performance on the Wave Goodbye/NINJA tour co-headlined with Jane’s Addiction. Not that the concept of Wave was negative, but although it was filled with rarities and a minimal smoke & lights setup, the tour felt just as it was named; a simple wave goodbye, a temporary hiatus in touring for Reznor and crew.

This time, with full production in swing that have completely revamped the Nine Inch Nails festival tour earlier this year and an extended set list averaging about twenty-five songs per show, Tension 2013 seems to put the band back on track with the likes of previous groundbreaking The Lights in the Sky and With_Teeth creations. From the newest release, “Copy of A” began the show translated in a fashion that sticks true to the album version’s core, down to the lone two-kick drum notes in the middle of the song of which pumped the venue full of low end energy that the song could flourish upon.

Powering through the entire discography, basically avoiding With_Teeth, Year Zero, and The Slip save for one song from each of those respective records, Nine Inch Nails put on a powerful show, complete with visuals by that formed a conglomerate in demonstration of an evolution in one of the smartest, most innovative industrial rock bands that have ever walked the face of the Earth.

Of the touring members of Nine Inch Nails, even with the legendary Pino Palladino on bass (who has toured with the likes of The Who and Gary Numan), it is the former NIN-Festival-bassist turned guitar/keys player Josh Eustis of the brilliant Telefon Tel Aviv that specifically stands out as the talented newcomer amongst the bunch. Not only has he been one half of Tel Aviv before the unfortunate passing of Charles Cooper, but has remixed “Where is Everybody?” off The Fragile for its remix compilation entitled Things Falling Apart, as well as an unreleased remix of “Even Deeper” that can be found on remix.nin.com. What makes Eustis such a valuable player in Nine Inch Nails’ live orientation is how effortless he displays his multi-instrumental talent. For the most part, he is dormant on stage, however, the focus radiating off what he is playing and himself allows for one to stare in awe at how effortless he makes the intricacies look. By the time Josh breaks out the saxophone during “While I’m Still Here,” any skeptical reservations are tarnished; replaced with admiration and respect.

Along with Eustis and Palladino are unconventional backing singers Sharlotte Gibson and Lisa Fischer, whom give the band a Pink Floidian feel to several songs, mainly “Even Deeper,” where Fischer (who’s toured with The Rolling Stones) completely lets loose, recalling adlib and vocal additions akin to falling in line with the likes of “The Great Gig in the Sky”.

There’s no nostalgic tension here, no copy of a copy of a copy of a copy of a previous shadow of a performer, but a noteworthy and continual step forward in the Nine Inch Nails legacy that’s continual growth only seems to grow better with age.

It’s also noteworthy that “The Day The World Went Away” made it’s Tension 2013 debut at this Pittsburgh, PA date. Tickets and additional tour information can be found at NIN.com

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Concert Review: 10/02/2013 Daughter (with Bear’s Den) – Mr. Smalls Pittsburgh, PA

Posted on October 9, 2013 by 2020k | RJ Kozain

Daughter-live-pittsburghOn an early autumn night, with a pumpkin beer in hand, situated in the back bar area of Millvale, Pennsylvania’s church-turned-concert-venue Mr. Smalls, the setting seemed to be a perfect mood for an evening to be in the company of quiet, dim-lit indie band Daughter. The venue is a small, almost homely feeling – definitely more than intimate enough for a melancholic trio to lament and confess inside. With two EPs and one full length under their belt, Elena Tonra and her fellow Institute of Contemporary Music Performance friends have crafted some of the more somber musical pieces on the 4AD & Glassnotes record labels, and in support of them teamed up with Bear’s Den to tour the projects around the United States, landing them here on a cool October 2nd, 2013.

To warm up, the folk-laden Bear’s Den presented a performance that set apart the dismal, sometimes humdrum debut Agape EP release. Whereas the first few listens of the actual record itself can come across as a more arduous listen, their live set is very natural, even professional in a way that the sonics and song structures are more freely defined and definitive of the emotion/talent behind them. It’s not to say that Bear’s Den doesn’t sound great on their polished studio release, but seeing the tracks come to life by the band’s musicianship and interaction with the songs provides the missing piece of their work; the heart, if you will. The set was short, as most opening act time slots are, but enough for the early arriving audience to hear some debut EP musings and things off an upcoming follow up Without/Within EP. The rainy day banjo-infused Londoners, all together played a diminutive, but effective set, specifically highlighting “Agape” as a beautiful opener, with the lines “Tell me how long, love, before you go and leave me here on my own. I don’t want to know who I am without you,” which distinctly resonated the spirit of the night, accelerating anticipation for the main act.

Admittedly, Daughter entered 2020k’s radar a week before the actual show, through a friend. Normally, the chance to see an act fully un-acquanted with one’s ears are passed on, but the emotion and genuine songwriting is so intensely powerful on their releases that it seemed like an act of regret to pass up on viewing a trio whose emotional affect was so instant. Expectations for the evening were not through the roof, but rather subdued in a way to relax for the evening and watch the band dig deeper into their discography, to thrive through the darkness of their songs, and to see a group of musicians whom fallen artistically relatable on the 2020k table.

The modesty behind Daughter is what’s swift to catch attention. There are no frills at a Daughter show, the lights mostly stay dimmed and low, and the only time a member of the band chooses to speak with the audience is to say thank you for being so kind. The small gathering of individuals at the show were quiet, respectful, listening, and the band took notice. “It’s our first time here and I’m quite awkward with people,” Tonra spoke noiselessly, at one moment, “so thank you for being so welcoming.”

What hindered the Daughter show was a lack of clarity from the engineering standpoint of the show. While the instrumentation and creative skill shined through the entire thirteen track set, the majority of it was lost in a muddied mess. The instruments sometimes collided sonically with each other, creating chaos in clarity, and for the majority of the show, Elena’s vocals were unintelligible, often buried beneath the amount of mid-range muddiness, that doubled greatly with the various subtle effects on her vocals. Unfortunately, this is not at all Daughter’s fault, but because of it, at times, made the show completely unengaged, confusing, and all around translated a lack of pure emotion of which should have been delivered to the listener. This was a shame as there is no doubt of the talent within any member of Daughter.

At any rate, musically the show comprised of a musical chemistry within the band as they despondently delivered their sorrow sonics, at times, playing off of it, saying “Here’s another sad song.” “Smother” and “Youth” obviously showed strength in their delivery, as they’ve been pushed to the forefront of their promotion on various projects, but different tracks like “Landfill” and the stunning opening track from If You Leave called “Winter” came out to play as well.

At the end of the night, I had a Daft Punk shirt on, because I thought it would be funny considering the band did a cover of “Get Lucky” live on BBC Radio One Live Lounge, and ironically enough, after a compliment from an individual on the shirt (thank you!) the band came out as an encore to finish of their performance with this specific cover. A wonderful, completely human rendition of the song was broadcasted, still sonically doomed, but still a wonderful end to a good, still, and honest night of musical solemn evening.


Side note: During this song, boyfriend looked over at me after the line “If you’re in love, then you are the lucky one” and said he was a lucky one. AAAAWWWWWWWWW, so cute it makes you sick, right? I swooned (and then we were up all night to get lucky if you know what I mean. Just kidding..). Special thank you to Andrew for coming, and to Thom for turning me on to Daughter. Also, my apologies to the bartender who made his way somewhere else before I was able to leave a tip! Still feeling bad..next time you’ll get a few extra dollars (I’m always there, just look!) Also, this paragraph is supposed to be smaller in font size than anything else, but WordPress is being strange, so just imagine that this text is smaller.

Check out If You Leave by Daughter. The first full length, released via CD, vinyl, and MP3 on April 30th, 2013. Amazon link.

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Lady Gaga Reveals Jeff Koons “ARTPOP” Album Cover

Posted on October 7, 2013 by 2020k | RJ Kozain

Lady Gaga ARTPOP

Lady Gaga has revealed the ARTPOP album cover, curated by Jeff Koonz. Her body isn’t a motorcycle this time.

Like it?

Read our “Applause” Review. ARTPOP will be released November 8th, 2013 with production from Martin Bresso, DJ White Shadow, Madeon, Monson, Zedd, and Dino Zsis.

Posted in Sine Wave | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Download: Vestron Vulture x 2020k – “Run in Circles”

Posted on September 30, 2013 by 2020k | RJ Kozain

Vestron Vulture x 2020k Run in Circles

Hello everybody,

I’ve been absent a bit over here lately. I know. I apologize. (Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere.)

A couple of posts down, I explained that I’ve been working 60 hour work weeks. This amount of work is no doubt strenuous, but is necessary in preparation to make a life change and move into the actual city of Pittsburgh for a bit.

There’s a lot of other projects in the works. Big projects. Big music projects that are being processed and creatively executed. Announcements will be made in the near future.

For now, there’s a song that I’ve worked on for the last eight months with Vestron Vulture called “Run in Circles” that just came out. So far, it’s been featured on a great compilation called Vox Populi by the Retro Promenade’s imprint [click] and a free five track single download that’s currently out for download.

01. Run in Circles
02. Chip in Circles
03. Always Etcetera (Wet Eyes Featuring 2020k)
04. Run in Circles (Original Mix)
05. Supertramp ’68 (Vestron Vulture)

Click here to download the single for free

Enjoy x RJ


Thank you to Dante for the collaboration, as well as additional thanks to Aneesh Ratan & Ross Auger for the extra help, and to Mike Mendoza for finding a slot on the compilation.

You can stay more informed during this “quiet time” (for lack of a better phrase) over at twenty20k.com, Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter (where I’m a Chatty Cathy from time to time).

Posted in 2020k Music | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Madonna Takes Part in Reddit “Ask Me Anything,” Answers 2020k Question & More!

Posted on September 16, 2013 by 2020k | RJ Kozain

Madonna RedditMadonna Reddit AMA 2020kWhat you are reading above is true. Madonna answered a question submitted by myself [link] in regards to an artist’s duty to responsibly use their voice to reflect society and themselves. To correct myself, I was six when I obtained the “You’ll see” cassette single, not four. This is also me trying to be modest, as I cannot lie that her response to my inquiry sent the buzzer for my constant support for messages throughout art off in full swing [more on that specifically here].

This is just one of the many questions submitted by Reddit users during a special Ask Me Anything segment featuring the artist herself. Like the Twitter banter (sans Mau5 drama), the Queen of Pop delivered back-handed, clever comments to her fans as she spent a few hours scrolling through the thousands of submissions of which pelted this specific section of the internet outlet.

Obviously a call to promote her upcoming Secret Project Revolution, which premieres next week at artforfreedom.com, Madonna makes several references to the project, stating “It’s a very ambitious project because it deals with very controversial issues; both global and personal. I’m extremely passionate about it. It means more to me than anything I have ever done before. In one week, it wont be a secret.” This back and forth even went so far as to ask a fan from Pakistan, who’s account has since been deleted, to share any story he might have.

More insightful, she had this to say about the critical and commercial downfall of American Life: “Because I dealt with a lot of controversial issues in it. I criticized american politics, the entertainment business in hollywood. I was in an angry mood when I was making it. Maybe that came across, but I was in an angry mood when I made my last album [MDNA] too.”

In funland,
She came out as a gay man.
when asked where to put the hydrangeas, she replied “up your ass.”
Kept typing the phrase “send photo”
Wishes she could turn Frank Ocean straight.
Wants a dirty martini.
Is waiting for Daft Punk to return her call.

So since we’re best friends and I’m still waiting for Deadmau5 to get back to me about doing a car interview, do you think next time she’s in Pittsburgh I can take her out?

Read the rest of her responses here.


Secret Project debuts at Artforfreedom.com on September 24th, 2013. Read our review of MDNA here.

Posted in Personal, Sine Wave | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Zedd & Deadmau5 Film Hilarious 20+ Minute Coffee Run

Posted on September 15, 2013 by 2020k | RJ Kozain

Deadmau5 Zedd Coffee Run Excuse the light posting lately. If you follow me on Twitter, you’ll know what’s [click] up [click].

Once upon a time, Electronic Dance Musicians Zedd (my new husband) and Deadmau5 went on a coffee run. They also filmed it. While it seems a bit insane (and perhaps it is) to watch 22 minutes of two friends running to a Tim Horton’s drive thru, it’s filled with hysterical Joel Zimmerman-isms as they mock media interviews and banter back and forth about new music, tour stresses, mau5head shipping, and wanting to score movie soundtracks instead of lending tracks.

From the minute they take off, it’s pure hilarity; especially when Zimmerman floors it and Anton Zaslavski (who got the name Zedd because of the first letter of his last name, in case the journalists are wondering) nervously laughs as he prepares to potentially die, following it up with “I can see why you’re getting a ticket.”

Joel: This is the coffee place, buddy. The drive thru, I mean.
Anton: A drive thru..coffee place?
Joel: Yeah, a drive thru.
Anton: That does not exist in Germany..
Joel: They don’t have a lot of things in Germany.
Anton: That’s true.

The above banter is followed by a passerby screaming “DEADMAU5! ARE YOU DEADMAU5” to which Joel charismatically responds “OH MY GOD! Sometimes!”

You need this. 2020k needs this. When’s my interview, Joel? Why aren’t you called Zedd, Zimmerman?

Happy Sunday.

Posted in Sine Wave | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Northern Lights: Arcade Fire, This Mess, For Esmé, More!

Posted on September 10, 2013 by Amber Waves

For Esme

This is a monthly infrasound guest post by Amber Waves over at Open ‘Til Midnight. Inside of these issues are five tracks – mostly independent acts from Canada – that have found their way onto Waves’ radar. Be sure to check out this month’s posting by 2020k on OTM’s blog monthly as well with the same premise, called Hidden Gems.

September is a delicious time of year, isn’t it?

Lying in that cusp between summer and crisp fall weather, it holds the promise of great music with great seasonal coffee, and the kick-off of typically more intimate tours.  As the summer winds down, allow me to share with you the latest treats to savour over a good chai latte.

“Reflektor” – Arcade Fire

“What’s an Arcade Fire?” asked the tweens of Twitter as the Montreal-based band snagged Grammy accolades for their album The Suburbs.  “Awesome!” replied those already enraptured.

Few artists from Canada have managed to enjoy the sort of success Win Butler et al. have achieved since the release of Funeral, and even fewer have not been mainstream pop-rock bands.  Blending keys, strings, guitars and happily shifting from English to French when it suits their artistic intent, Arcade Fire have a sound hard to define, often imitated now and yet, distinctly theirs.

On their new single “Reflektor”, the core elements of harmony and societal observation are at play with shades of disco and I have to say, I’m completely in love with this one.  Is it anything like their other albums?  No, but also yes.  Fresh and authentically theirs, “Reflektor” may just be a late entry for summer jam of 2013 for the rock fan.

“Honey and Sorrow” – Amber Edgar

Hamilton-based artist Amber Edgar leaves her bio to her lyrics:  “All my troubles behind/Are they all behind me now?/ I’ll be good, while I’m gone…”

Crediting music as her solace in her darker moments of youth, Edgar has now shifted gears from photography and other creative endeavours to focus on her songcraft.  Her first single, “Honey and Sorrow” reverberates with the acoustic edginess of Throwing Muses beneath a more melodic rock polish.  Heartfelt lyrics and haunting vocals create a soundscape that will draw you in beneath its current.  Music to happily drown in.

“Buried In Cocaine” – DAVIDS

Star Trek: Into Darkness is out on DVD and absolutely amazing, my friends.  Atmospheric, action-packed yet still quietly philosophical – I dig it.

This next artist is kinda like that.  DAVIDS hails from Toronto, moving back home with the parentals to make electronic music.  They didn’t seem to mind, from his recounting, and I can’t say I blame them: what he’s crafted on his forthcoming EP is polished, tasty electronic — New Order evolved.  At turns frantic and introspective, enjoy a taste of being “Buried In Cocaine”.

“Grace Is Such A Good Word” – For Esmé

Keeping with the experimental vibe, allow me to introduce Toronto band For Esmé.   The brainchild of Martha Meredith, it’s best described as a blend of the confessional storytelling of early Chantal Kreviazuk and the playful experimentation of Regina Spektor or Fiona Apple. By their own astute description, “…for esmé explores the balance between pop music and poetry, between soft and hard, between light and dark. for esmé is a study of contrast and the things that pull us in differing directions… from city lights to the window in the woods.”

“Lucid Dreams” – This Mess

I fell in love with Australian band This Mess after discovering their delicious EP (full review over here).  Reminiscent of the best of Massive Attack and Portishead, their blend of trip-hop, soul and electronic just strikes at my core.  Tace Macnamara’s pipes soar above the richly layered melodies, evoking glorious chills.

Their newest single, “Lucid Dreams” is a free download and blends elements of house into their usual sonic tapestry.  It’s somewhat of a departure, but keeping it fresh is always a beautiful thing in art.

That’s it for this month!  Be sure to swing by Open ‘Til Midnight to check out 2020k’s latest finds, as well as more reviews of the best indie has to offer.

Posted in Infrasound, Northern Lights | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Ian Shepherd Analyzes CD & Audiophile Masters of “Hesitation Marks” by Nine Inch Nails

Posted on September 4, 2013 by 2020k | RJ Kozain

Nine Inch Nails Hesitation MarksKnowing this blog means at least acknowledging Ian Shepherd’s activism in the industry Danamicrangeday.co.uk, anyone [link]? Our article on Dynamic Range day, anyone [link]?

As a matter of fact, reasons to love Ian are almost infinite. Not only has he worked on records from the likes of Culture Club; Tricky (a favorite around this blog), Keane, and Deep Purple, he’s also an Imogen Heap fan (another favorite). In conjunction with these small facts, Ian is also genuinely one of the most interesting minds of engineering and one of the leading crusaders against the squashing of dynamic range.

Knowing this blog also means acknowledging the heavy influence we believe Nine Inch Nails has in terms of influence sonically and in the realm of music business models.

That all being said, as soon as Hesitation Marks was announced to be mastered in a plethora of different versions (standard CD, vinyl, mastered for iTunes), including a prestigious audiophile edition of the record, 2020k seemingly jumped for joy. It seemed to be, at the least, a step in the right direction, right? We could all sonically agree on what this could mean if the record would live up to the hype, right?! [Link to information about the alternate mix].

We’d like to offer Ian Shepherd’s 15 minute video breakdown between the CD and audiophile versions of Hesitation Marks. The 2020k review of the record is pending, with sound waves from the record repeatedly pumping out the monitors, and it seems Mr. Shepherd has covered the bulk of the hype between these versions, hitting the nails (pun intended) right on their heads!

Enjoy and let us know your take between the versions in the comments section below!


Follow @Ianshepherd on Twitter!

Posted in Music Business, Sine Wave | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Cults Announce “Static” – Due Out October 15th, 2013 & Take the Exquisite “High Road”

Posted on September 4, 2013 by 2020k | RJ Kozain

Cults StaticSee that gif? It’s the actual, official promotional image for Static, the follow up release from Cults’ self-titled 2011 release. Slated for October 15th, the eleven track album seems like it’s gearing up to be quite the continuation of their debut, especially as far as the second single “High Road” is concerned.

Taken from our most recent Hidden Gems post over at OTMblog.com [link]:

“But I should’ve took the high road, now it’s such a long way back. Instead I took the low road, I figured out it’s something you can’t take back. I should’ve took the high road, now my days have all turned black, instead I took the low road, and figured out it’s something that we both lack.” 

Cults became a duo on my radar after watching their outstanding performance as an opening act for Passion Pit during their summer tour [click here for that review]. Glittered in screens projected onto the stage, including Brian Oblivion, Madeline Follin, and touring members themselves, the act powered through a quick set that covered practically the entirety of their small body of work. The two are at it again, with their follow up release entitled Static due out October 15th. “High Road” may have debuted as this piece was being written, but its continuation of the band’s nostalgic vibe on this song demonstrates a growth in the band that makes the repeat button on “High Road” being pressed like it was the lifeline to keeping this cult alive. Brilliant talent. 

You can receive an instant download of “High Road” when you pre-order Static from iTunes. There are also CD and vinyl copies that will be available upon the release date. What do we recommend? The vinyl. Cults is very traditional and organic, so their debut record is one of the best translated-to-vinyl releases of the past couple of years. Our standards for Static reign high.

Posted in Sine Wave, track review | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Zedd Crafts Smart Dance Music With “Clarity” & Achieves Summer Hit Status

Posted on August 25, 2013 by 2020k | RJ Kozain

Zedd Clarity Promo

2013 has been a year of unsuspecting comebacks and surprising summer hits. From Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky” to Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines,” the Billboard Hot 100 spectrum has taken mainstream outlets through a whirlwind of delightful obscurity. Among this league of unforeseen blockbusters comes an impassioned Electronic/Dance masterpiece called “Clarity,” carved from German producer Anton Zaslavski, better known as Zedd.

Originally released in February of this year, the Foxes featured title song from Zaslavski’s 2012 debut album has found worldwide recognition, mainly in America where it sits highest at number eight on the Hot 100 charts, as well as number one on the Hot Dance Club Songs, marking “Clarity” as one of the staple summer songs of this year. Written in collaboration with Matthew Koma, Porter Robinson, and Skylar Grey, the end result is a titan-status pop anthem, disguised in dance glory, that twists its way through enough present genres and effortlessly found a way toward found massive success.

“Clarity” is structurally intellectual. Starting out with minimal key, string, and percussion sections, the track slowly builds over a verse, chorus, and post-chorus timeframe. Eventually, the song comes down for a moment with two reverberated percussion fills, then moves into a danced-out chorus once more. What’s most interesting about this song is the moment after the second chorus, the one that contains panned instrumentation of which almost completely fades out for a moment before the a second movement of the song comes into place.

Sure, in terms of the Dance music genre, this Zedd single falls in line with something Tiesto was going for in his Kaleidoscope days. But, in regards to song structure, nothing about “Clarity” screams formula-oriented for radio; which is what makes this track’s rise to fame so incredible and refreshing.

Lyrically, the title track finds steadiness amongst romanticizing intense passion through trying times in relationships. This method of songwriting is found throughout music, period, but it’s done so indirectly at times, while allowing the metaphorical paintings to proliferate. “A clock ticks ’til it breaks your glass and I drown in you again” delicately references the time theme of which Clarity is comprised of (both the first song on the record “Hourglass” and closing “Epos” contain ticking ticking clock noises) while it hones in to the song’s content through a series of blooded questions; “If our love is tragedy why are you my remedy? If our love’s insanity why are you my clarity?”

The engineering on Zedd’s projects aren’t the best. We’ve brought this up in the past on our review of Born This Way by Lady Gaga [click here], and while the mastering on Gaga’s projects wouldn’t necessarily reflect the final pressings of her collaborator’s projects, Anton’s debut record runs squashed at an average of 4dB of dynamic range. While it is dance music and most EDM seems to be running extra hot nowadays, it’s inexcusable; especially with a project that shine’s melodically as much as this record.

Regardless, the Foxes featured “Clarity” single is immaculate. Zedd’s classically trained skills show greatly on this record, as does his knack for crafting songs with movement, rather than bland dance-turned-pop offerings heard throughout most of the Pop spectrum.

Ultimately, he’s sexy, he’s smart, he’s talented and in terms of song composition, production, and structure. He’s given the main outlets of music some clarity into what the EDM community is capable of: timeless dance records.


Purchase Clarity via Amazon (it’s under $10! And there’s a vinyl coming out in 2020, which is obviously a reference to me, k? Goodbye, Justin Timberlake. Serving you experienced divorce papers).

Purchase “Clarity (Extended Mix)” exclusively at Beatport
Purchase “Clarity – Single” at iTunes

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