Tidal Memory Exo - Iglooghost

"Tidal Memory Exo" is possibly one of the the most creative albums I've heard to date. And that is no small feat.

Iglooghost bursts through the 90/100 barrier to present to us this grimy, technical project that shatters all boundaries and expectations, with 13 songs that don't quite make sense, sourced from a dilapidated post-apocalyptic town situated besides a sea of unnatural filth and a plethora of supernatural lifeforms. "Tidal Memory Exo" is a radio transmission from this town, showcasing the kind of eccentric music that has developed in such an environment. And honestly, albums like this would typically be very gimmicky and tough to listen through fully, but Iglooghost is methodical, meticulous, and calculated, and he works wonders. With the forward thinking to give the tracks an overarching style comprised of wonky beats and strangely enunciated hip-hop vocals (Iglooghost's own) speaking rather spontaneous lyrics, "Tidal Memory Exo" truly feels like a snapshot into a different world entirely. In a sense, that's the beauty of it, because it doesn't need to be far too extreme, nor does it need to have a deepset or lengthy narrative, not when you can produce something so offbeat it makes people wonder "wait, what if music really did evolve in this way?". I haven't even gotten to the production yet, but that is unquestionably the highlight of the project, overshadowing even its creativity. Iglooghost is masterful at his sound and he leaves no holds barred here: glitchy leads that haunt the eardrum; slamming, grimy basslines; rich synths and a microscopic attention to detail—the sound design is utterly flawless, and the rap vocals provide yet another unique twist, lending brilliantly to the stylistic motifs Iglooghost sets forward and often acting as an intensifier to drive each track forward. From the crushingly dark "Coral Mimic" to the frantic "Germ Chrism", the almost catchy "flux​•Cocoon" to the strong "Pulse Angel", the left-field vocal in "Spawn01" to the extremely glitchy finale "Geo Sprite Exo", the style remains constant whilst the mood and tone wander to their heart's content.

How someone can even come up with this idea, let alone execute it with such incredible finesse and control—enough that there are quite literally no misses—is completely beyond me. In fact, this entire album is beyond me, and every time I listen to it I find something new, either layered in the sound design or contributing to the worldbuilding. The production is, in all respects, pristine, and the motifs are brilliantly thought out. But it still does have its vices—mainly that at times it can feel repetitive, and occasionally it feels just a tad overdone or underdone.