It's not surprising that an Electronic/Trip-hop labelled artist would release an exquisite array of conclusively diverse textures, timbres and harmonic components, but what this notably "chill" criteria of music does represent itself in, all in under a full hour, is what could only be described as a tracklist full of which would highlight the epitome of meticulous divergence.
"Floating Promises" is the second release from Leitvox, and immediately grasps the eyes and ears with its seemingly inquisitive title and eerie album cover.
This assortment of tasty textures are crafted diligently by the genius known as Christian Cooley, or what listeners' would know him as; Leitvox. The project was started up in 2010 in Mexico City where Cooley began sewing unlikely music connections, ranging from Hip-Hop, Alt-rock and of course, Electronica. The carefully blended components have proved successful as he is on his second album after attracting a wide audience on his website, social media and other sites such as lastFM, bandcamp and Soundcloud.
But what is it that makes this record so audibly broad-minded? The general sensation of the ensemble relies on its ability to competently switch between the more hazier and dreamy songs such as "Parallel Suns" and "Floating Promises", through to the more vigorous tracks like "Pale love" and "A Whole Other Country". The more 'miscellaneous' numbers which are neither bold nor timid lie in tracks such as "Gift", "Crystal Shadows" "Evasion" which seem to, unsurprinsingly in the context of Trip-hop, combine both weaker albeit stronger vibes.
Cooley adopts recurring voices for his musically multicoloured journey, showcasing the talents of vocalists such as Gavin Clark, Ana Karla, Tony Browne and Ema Fox. These four in particular keep up appearances in the selection, displaying a range of subjects which appear to have a noticably bold divide in terms of narrative; The tracks which feature female vocalists such as "Two Tribes", "Pale Love" and "Crime" appear to focus on the more superior and confident ideologies in terms of lyrics as opposed to the male dynamics on the record. This isn't necassarily a consistent trait upon listening to the different embodiments of Cooleys journey, however.
"A Whole Other Country" is probably one of the most fascinating tracks on the album which, whilst simplistic in terms of percussive timbre and harmony, can't help but trigger the brain from identifying and associating it with 2013 indie hit "Do I Wanna Know?" by The Arctic Monkeys, suggesting that Clarks malicious vocal lying on top of an anthemic hook and foot-tapping rhythm could almost be a reincarnated adaption if it were moulded into an Indie-Electronic rendition.
On the whole, what really highlights the brilliance of this debut is Cooleys marriage of both music and lyrics which (whether intentionally or unintentionally) carefully construct a contradictory aura where the "chill" and "hazy" association with Trip-Hop is paired with lyrics which suggest recurring words, phrases and subjects of antigonizing messages toward someone, perhaps this is why both the title(not to mention the melodic feel) of "Floating Promises" is so ambivalent.
Whether the album is listened to in a mindset of despondancy or positivity, this ambiguous tracklist is highly recommended for those with easy-listening ears, who are prepared to be lead on a comfortably smooth journey.
