Review Summary: Warm summer nights never sounded so inviting.
While in the dead of winter, my listening habits seem to tend to favor more desolate, hopeless music. It's fairly obvious why, but I'm sure that it doesn't help my attitude about the mercilessly cold winter when I favor black/death metal over...well,
warmer-sounding music in general. With that being said, every now and then an artist will pull me out of my seasonal funk and bring to mind those open-window summer nights that I desperately long for. Midnight Static has been the artist that I reach for when things get a little too difficult to handle; it's been my escape from the long hours at my office job and the sh
itty weather that we've had in spades around here lately.
Daydream unequivocally brings to mind a warm summer's day for me; uptempo electronics mesh with shimmering guitars and ethereal delay effects to create a surprisingly palatable atmosphere. Though it's obviously nothing new in the realm Midnight Static is creating in, the reason that it is so dynamic and interesting is how well all of the individual aspects mesh together. "Maybe I'm Dreaming" takes the clean guitar section in the beginning and repeats it throughout the track, but by seamlessly adding in soaring synths and subtle changes to the beat as the song progresses it ends up engaging the listener with ease. This simplistic formula is quite deceptive, as the subtle layered nuances are what make the release stand out. "Summertime Skyline" is proof of this: a multi-layered, catchy soundscape fades away into a simplistic but effective keyboard piece that allows the song to be memorable as well as enjoyable.
It isn't without a sense of irony that I find myself coming back to
Daydream every time that I need to escape from my thoughts for a short fifteen minutes. Daydreaming doesn't come too easy for me these days. Children, seemingly endless bills, and work make sure that I stay well-grounded and responsible. I don't mind that too much; in fact, I am sure that this is what I have worked towards my whole life. Even though I do love my life, music is a way to escape to the simplistic but joyful memories that we all harbor. This album is a vehicle for me to allow myself to recharge and attack my life head on. When "Wanderlust" suddenly ends, the silence I am left with is a quaint reminder to get back to work. Maybe just one more listen, though.
