The creators of Stranger Things listened to this song and used it in a mock trailer for the show, before then asking both Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein of ‘Survive’ to come on board and write the entire soundtrack for Stranger Things. [SOURCE]
So I saw this show once on TV where there was this ragtag group of kids that befriended another kid that was different from them. These kids had lost one of their pals and the pal was presumed dead by everyone. But these kids(and the missing kid’s mom) knew different. They knew their friend and son wasn’t dead. He’d been taken away to a dark place. A place where the world had been turned inside…
Album Review by Bradley Christensen
S U R V I V E – RR7349
Record Label: Relapse
Release Date: September 30 2016
Recently I’ve covered a myriad of instrumental albums, whether they were post-metal, ambient, or synthwave records, but now we’re at the final one for the time being – S U R V I V E’s new LP, RR7349. I reviewed their last album, mnq026, and I was somewhat harsh on the album. At least to a point, anyway, because I liked the album, I just didn’t think it was a great one. I really liked its sound, but the album was a bit too slow-moving at times, making for a rather tedious and lengthy listen (despite it being only 45 minutes as a whole). The album was more on the ambient side of things, and I couldn’t really get into it as much as I wanted to. I was more excited for the synthwave act’s newest album, and their debut album for Relapse Records, RR7349, because I heard a couple songs from the album, which had a very energetic, upbeat, and engaging feel to them. They were still very much ambient, but they had a pulse to them, too. For those of you that don’t know, or didn’t read my review on mnq026, S U R V I V E is a synthwave act that takes 80s-inspired synth tones for make a very dark, ominous, and ambient atmosphere. Like many people, I came across them through the show Stranger Things, which premiered earlier this year on Netflix. I really like the music on the show, and the band that makes the band are a couple members from S U R V I V E, so I had to check out their music. They introduced me to a whole new style of music, and even though I wasn’t too crazy about mnq026, I was very excited for RR7349, which I’ve already mentioned. It’s been about two weeks since the album’s release, and I’ve been listening to it a lot lately, so what do I think about the album? Well, it’s a step up from mnq026, that’s for sure, but that album wasn’t bad. It was a little boring, sure, but it was a cool-sounding album. This album, on the other hand, is more energetic, upbeat, and more interesting. There’s more variety in this album, right off the bat, so while there are some still ambient tracks throughout the album, most of the album is more engaging to listen to.
That’s the only real difference, though, so like my review of their last album, there’s not too much that I really have to say about this album in terms of its sound, at least, because it’s not all that different. It’s pretty similar, with just one major thing that’s different, as well as a bit better, actually. I really like the overall sound of this album, as it’s very nice, ambient, relaxed, but also energetic, engaging, and unique. I will admit that I have one problem, though, and it’s kind of the same problem that I have with every instrumental album, really – the album doesn’t feature anything catchy, or memorable, but that doesn’t make it bad. I just tend to gravitate towards albums with more prominent hooks and melodies, but this one doesn’t have any. Because of that, it wears on me a bit after a handful of listens, but it’s not like it sucks, or anything close to that. It’s a great record, and as much as I love the sound of this album, as well as Stranger Things, I wouldn’t say this album is a contender for album of the year. I was very excited about this album, and it doesn’t disappoint whatsoever. I don’t want to give off that impression. I think it’s a great record, but it’s not perfect, by any means. Really, the only issue is that it doesn’t lend itself to anything really catchy, but that’s not its own fault. That’s just what I prefer, and if you enjoy instrumental music, electronic music, or music that sounds straight out of the 1980s, you’ll definitely enjoy this. Instrumental music typically isn’t my thing, but I can get down to some bands, or albums, and this is one that I really like. I’d say that I love this album, but it’s not a perfect one, either. I’m definitely happy I listened to this, and you know what? If you love the music on Stranger Things, definitely listen to this album. You might get something out of it, even if it’s something out of your comfort zone. This type of music was for me, but that can pay off quite well sometimes.
S U R V I V E – mnq026
Record Label: Self-released
Release Date: May 28 2012
Instrumental music is not something I listen to very often, I’ll be honest about that. I’ve always been more of a lyrics person, and some people are. I mean, I like music itself, too, obviously, but I don’t know, I like having a hook, or a catchy melody in my head, versus just instrumental stuff. I don’t mind instrumental music, especially when bands have instrumental songs in their albums, but I don’t really listen to totally instrumental music. I say that, because talking about this kind of music is still a somewhat new experience for me. I’ve only maybe reviewed a handful of instrumental albums in the last four or five years, but it’s always exciting to listen to something new. I love being challenged when it comes to my music taste, at least every now and again, because what fun is listening to the same stuff over and over again? I could never just listen to the same things over ad over, despite how much I may love certain bands, albums, and songs. I just always have an itch for new music, especially things that I’m not accustomed to. Instrumental music, regardless of what kind, is very much something that I’m not accustomed to, but that’s what I’ll be talking about today, specifically the band S U R V I V E (pronounced Survive, by the way). I found out about this band the same way a lot of people did – thanks to the Netflix hit show Stranger Things earlier this summer. They do the theme song for the show, as well the music itself, and because I really like the 80s synthwave sound that the soundtrack of the show has, I thought I’d dive into this band. The band just released their newest LP, and Relapse Records debut, RR7349, but when I came across them, the album was only up for pre-order. I didn’t get a chance to check that out yet, minus a couple songs off it, so I picked up copy of their last album, technically speaking, which is 2012’s mnq026. I only had a small idea of what to expect from this LP, but I was excited to listen to it, nonetheless. I actually listened to this album last month, but I waited to review it until RR7349 came out, just so I could compare both albums.
I won’t talk about the new album much, only that I like it a bit more, honestly. That’s not a knock against this album, because it’s good, but this album has one big problem, and it’s a problem I have with a lot of instrumental albums – it’s kind of boring. I don’t mean that this record puts me to sleep, but instrumental music just doesn’t engage me as much, especially when it’s not energetic enough. Their new album is very upbeat, energetic, and even kind of catchy, but this album is pretty ambient, atmospheric, and quiet, which is fine, but that’s not the kind of stuff I usually like. It’s not even that I think it’s bad, per se, but slower-moving stuff tends to really not have much of a replay factor for me. That’s because I only feel like I want to play that kind of stuff during times when I’m just relaxing, or even before I go to sleep. This isn’t an album I can play any time during the day, especially when I’m doing something energetic, because the mood just doesn’t feel right. This album is too slow-moving for that, and that’s not a problem against itself, really, but it can be an issue when I want to listen to album multiple times. If you’ve watched Stranger Things, and you really want to listen to the band behind the music, I don’t know if I’d start off with this album, because it is more in the vein of ambient, atmospheric, and quiet electronic music, versus being more pulsing, energetic, and upbeat. That’s what their new album does, and I like that a bit more, because it’s more suitable to play any time of the day, as there’s more energy behind it. This album is good, though, and even as an introduction, it’s fine, because there are some slower moments on their new album, too, just as there are some energetic ones here. Everything sounds really great, and the compositions are constructed very well, but it’s just a bit too slow-moving for my tastes, that’s all.
