Terminal Sound System
RH-8SB
Release/ Relapse
As the warmest months of the year approach, many people long for the gray, barren, icy cold of a January afternoon. I personally enjoy the warmth and sun of summer, but it’s good to get a reminder of why winter is so nice; enter Terminal Sound System’s RH-8SB. If ever there was an album made for wintertime enjoyment, this is it.
To categorize the “music” on this disc is difficult. It is primarily a series of beats, doused with blips, beeps, static and occasional keyboard. Some tracks teeter on the edge of being danceable (e.g. “Whine,” “Stat” and “Ash”), and feature really cool beats, with a slew of bass. For the most part, though, the songs are really bizarre explorations in sound, with focus being given to atmosphere more than anything else.
As stated before, the mood of this one is best described with visions of winter; I’m not necessarily talking about sadness, just the weird lonesomeness and “blah” that we tend to feel in the middle of winter. Just as there is a strange comfort in the stark gray of snowy ground, there is the same feeling while listening to this record. There are no words, and it’s better that way. We are given a strange landscape of snow and ice, and asked to make what we will of it.
As you might have already guessed, this type of music isn’t for everyone. You’ve got to be pretty open-minded to not get bored. Therefore, this would best serve as background music for reading, or doing some other relaxing activity. I must say that I did enjoy this quite a bit; while this disc may sound arty, there isn’t even a hint of pretension to be found. This is a very likeable disc.
Release Entertainment: http://www.releaseentertainment.com/
