Review Summary: Blissfully hypnotic, hypnotically blissful
Much like Melody Prochet’s previous work under the Melody’s Echo Chamber alias,
Emotional Eternal finds her tirelessly pursuing new variations on her trademark blend of dream pop and neo-psychedelia. However, Prochet made it a point to dub the record a more peaceful and direct affair than previous outings, something that quickly becomes apparent from the opening title track. Much of the sonic experimentation and busy instrumentation of
Bon Voyage has been peeled back to reveal sparse acoustic chords and airy vocals, as subtle walking bass lines fill in the cracks. That’s not to say that Prochet has pulled a full-on stylistic 180 on us; rather, she is simply demonstrating another interesting facet of her existing sound. Listen intently enough and you’ll still find plenty of little nooks and crannies, such as the subtle acoustic strums that accompany the orchestration on “Alma_The Voyage” or the jazzy and somewhat mysterious chord changes on “The Hypnotist”. What’s more is that
Emotional Eternal isn’t as musically nor sonically overwhelming as its predecessor, instead operating at a slow burn. The aforementioned “Alma_The Voyage” eventually reveals the true extent of its experimental nature, but there’s a hell of a lot of buildup before hearing it in full bloom. Some shades of piano here, some orchestral backdrops there… a lot of little hints are dropped before we find ourselves in the presence of soft flute melodies and trippy sustained keyboards.
More than anything,
Emotional Eternal sounds reassuring and blissful. There’s still a hypnotic nature to the music, but it’s more of a “zone out at the beach while staring at the waves” type of hypnotic. Songs like “Looking Backward” and “Personal Message” effortlessly exude a sense of calm while remaining melodically complex enough to maintain one’s interest. The latter is especially effective at doing just that, as it slides nimbly between upbeat and melancholic acoustic guitar chords to create a piece of music that sounds both sentimental and bittersweet.
Emotional Eternal is a bit of a strange record, in that it’s deceptive in its simplicity; casual and intent listening are both highly rewarded, despite the record’s simplistic veneer. But whether you’re intending to give it a focused listen or simply zone out, the album is a beautiful little slice of dream pop bliss that occupies its own unique space in Prochet’s discography.
