Emberwake (Au5)

The self-proclaimed alchemist of dubstep releases his second EP of the year, one that continues to draw from outside his sphere of influence to expand his horizons.

The good: Au5's trademark style is, has always been (and hopefully always will be), distinct. His crystally synth signature is ever visible even here in "Emberwake", despite him moving towards a slightly different sound, incorporating his own vocals to express artistic intent in methods other than the dubstep he's known for. But that dubstep is still there - the slamming basses of "Better To Believe", the big melodic soundstage of "Into The Light", the sound design wizardry and attention to detail of "Starflame" - it's just weaved in with styles we don't often see from Au5, like synthwave.

The bad: I do feel like "Emberwake" just isn't Au5's most engaging project. This seems to be a common reocurrence with his longer projects, in that, though each single is fantastic, the project struggles holistically, and this EP is no exception. That aside, I think mixing his vocal into the songs could perhaps be done in a more tasteful way.