Review Summary: One of a kind art piece: not for everyone.
Rather than providing nuance with melodic progression, Vladislav Delay uses a couple notes that intertwine with noise intricacies, those intricacies progress for over an hour. The style of music here - garbly goop - is disguised as a genius composition but is it? Is it genius because the album is unorthodox and has more layered farts than an ogre meeting? Maybe, maybe not yet these farts have some potency. Similar to how this paragraph gave no cares about how it may be perceived, Anima does its thing with the opposite of subtlety.
Anima includes a handful of melodies with literally the same tone and synth used throughout the entire album. I’m not saying it’s lazy, I’m saying it’s repetitive like how the microwave alerts you when the food is done except [infinite]. But don’t worry, to compliment the lack of harmony/enjoyable musical notes there is endless noise as though a glitch occurred in the Matrix and every sound in the city is intensely downloaded into your brain. There is also a beat that shows up now and then to thump on the offbeat with a janky rhythm like a rusty pickup truck starting up. I wouldn’t call this album catchy, but it certainly tries.
In terms of crafting an album that is immensely engaging this wins. The noises and effects and abrasive synths can indeed be too much, but it also hooks you with what
might happen. You’ll keep listening just to see what sound is gonna pop next, simply out of curiosity. That is the hook and sinker of this whole chaotic mess, and it’s quite a hook. Despite the lengthiness of the album it doesn’t get that boring. That being said, at the fourty minute mark diminishing returns were a given.
Here’s the thing that kills the potential of the album: it’s grating on the ears. Don’t get me wrong, it’s fascinating and well made, but listening to this ear death for over an hour did not make for a relaxing afternoon. It was quite a chore to listen to, and of course it killed the battery life of my headphones. I know there are people that would love to subject themselves to water drip torture in musical format, but Kashiwa Daisuke’s Program Music I is a much more relaxing Sunday. I’m exaggerating in order to rant, but my point still stands: this album could’ve been a lot prettier.
Rants out of the way, the album was nifty. When it hit it reminded me of the underwater level of Donkey Kong Country. The sound effects and synths, while often abrasive, also had a cushioning effect like the feeling ears get after going out of a pool. The album may have various effects on humans like shrooms, which is another favourable outcome - potentially. At the very least, this album should be on your list just to see its effect on you, it shouldn’t be missed. It’s a mixed bag, but the bag itself is fancy with an intricate design.
