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Review: Phaserland - Electric Atlantic

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Phaserland’s first album, Night Talk in Paradise was, for me, a seminal record in the synthwave genre. There was something different about it that set it apart from other records. Yes, it was retro, yes it was future, and it had all the instruments and arrangements that every other synth record had. But just as all artists use the same colors, but each bring something unique to life, Phaserland brings forth something that is totally different from what his peers are creating. The atmosphere and imagery that Phaserland works with reach a higher level of authenticity. There’s a collection of ‘80s synth tapes somewhere, and if I were to slip his into the mix, I believe that Phaserland’s music would indistinguishable from the gems from that decade.

So of course I had high expectations for Phaserland’s second album, Electric Atlantic. I wasn’t worried that he wouldn’t deliver. What we have is an album that again showcases Phaserland’s unique take on the genre and also shows a noticeable improvement in musicianship. The entire album is worth your time and money but I will be talking about what I feel are the strongest tracks here.

Midnight Steps featuring Heidi is a film quality track that sounds like it belongs in a montage scene of two lovers getting ready to meet for their first date. It’s got jazzy, sensual guitars and fun synths behind Heidi’s impossibly charming vocals. She channels all the catchiness and marketability of Lisa Lisa and Phaserland knows exactly how to accentuate all the things that make her voice lovely. It’s a strong opener.

Covert Action featuring Sunglasses Kid brings a faster tempo to the album. Independent of each other, both dudes are extremely meticulous with their compositions and it really shows in this collaboration. There’s A LOT going on in this track. I’ve listened to it a dozen times and I’m still picking up little arrangements and instruments here and there, and it’s really cool because I can almost see the conversation between the two artists play out as they work to build this synth funky upbeat bit out outrun.

Electric Atlantic featuring Nikki Dodds opens up with some really wicked guitar riffs. One thing that Phaserland makes sure we know with this new album is that he can shred on the guitar. But there really isn’t a moment where the guitar work is the focus of the track or where it overwhelms the other instruments. Phaserland arranges things so that each element has its time to shine, and while I believe he has the ability to create a heavy horror metal synth sound like Dance with the Dead does, he chooses to keep it dialed back as a lethal, but moderately used weapon. Electric Atlantic is similarly as fun and flirty as Midnight Steps but with more of a futuristic vibe to it. The theme song to a dating service in 2050, perhaps.

Sushi on the Monorail is one of my personal favorite tracks on the album. It’s a loungy, atmospheric bit of synth funk. Listening to it, I am struck with the imagery of watching the landscape pass in blurred silence as I speed along on a Japanese bullet train, idly chewing a piece of sashimi. Comfortable, entertained, content and smiling as I careen northward at 300 miles an hour, never once touching the ground.

Beyond the Factory is a breezy bit of sci fi funk with tinges of darkness and muted bits of synth glitter. I feel like this would be a track used to welcome me to my new job with a company that builds orbital space stations around uninhabitable planets. I’m in a breakroom watching a cathode ray television, the corporate introduction video is on VHS. After the video is over I look out the window and stare into the ink of space, eager to get to work.

Funk This Ship is basically what the name implies. I’m on a cruise to the moon, watching a synth band shred on their keytars during the dinner show. Again, Phaserland keeps his wicked guitars in his back pocket until the most effective moments and this track is a most effective moment. I furrowed my brow, puckered my lips and went “Ooh damn” during this one.

Pool Lights featuring Sebastian Gampl is simply gorgeous, one of the best songs on the album. It’s got that ‘80s drama movie flair and it just oozes luxury and excess. We’re taken to the rooftop of a Hollywood Hills hotel on a summer night, overlooking the Los Angeles skyline. Silently sitting next to a beautiful stranger, we idly kick our feet in the water and watch the soft bluish white light bend from beneath the water. Again there’s some transcendent guitar work here. Listen with your eyes closed.

Space Command brings Starforce onboard to create a sci-fi guitar shred odyssey. I’m consistently impressed with Phaserland’s collaborations. Instead of going the route of creating an epic soundtrack to a space opera, what we are given is a fun slice of an intergalactic life. Just another chill day cruising the cosmos.

Straight to You opens beautifully and the vocals are impossibly sweet and wistful. This is a gorgeous love theme and the instruments are restrained yet perfectly utilized to amazing effect. A reunion across the universe, a letter, a confession of love, an impetus to book the first flight off Earth and go to be with that special someone.

Soft Scene is a continuation of this slower end of the album but it’s by no means just a similar tempo filler track. It’s slow, sad and it wraps me in blankets of warm synth. It’s a swirling snifter of cognac to console a broken heart, alone at a bar, and outside is nothing but an empty moonscape. Phaserland’s guitar work is never more beautiful than on this track and it’s my personal favorite track on the album.

On the first album I got lost in the story almost immediately. The same happened with Electric Atlantic. These tracks are bites of retro future, episodes of a luxurious, urban sci-fi lifestyle. There is no kitsch or irony or cliché in the music either. Phaserland’s uniqueness comes from the fact that he doesn’t emulate or interpret the ‘80s synth sound, he captures it. He IS it. Electric Atlantic is an album full of wonderful retro imagery and is a marked step upward for Phaserland. Listen and get lost in a future that never came true.