The improbably named Elektragaaz’s new EP The Synaesthetic Picture Show Now Playing, Part 5 likewise offers an improbable blend of traditional instruments, synths, keyboards, and percussion over the course of six tracks defying neat and tidy categorization. The band’s topsy-turvy melting pot of musical voices is, however, anchored by a handful of constants. Guitarist Tom Elektron makes his presence felt in the songs in different ways, it’s always laden with effects, though unstintingly musical.
It’s obvious in the first song. “Behind the Final Veil” sets the bar high for every performance after it and the forceful pacing they adopt is a great move for instrumental material like this. There’s a hypnotic pulse in the song’s center that pulls you in from the outset and doesn’t release its hold; you aren’t moving of your own volition during this song but, instead, compelled by powers far greater than yourself.
Their self-professed label of electronic multi-fusion is a perfect way to describe their music. “October’s Child” continues in that vein, but Elektragaaz expands their reach from the opener varying the rhythms in such engaging, physical ways. It is a unique confluence of sounds and not the first time we’ll hear it. “Manhunter”, however, takes listeners into hard electronic territory, but Elektron’s guitar stands out once again. It’s a blazer and not easy to forget.
Part 5 takes an unexpected turn with the track “Flying Underwater”. The gripped visual image of the song title comes across in this instrumental without relying on any sort of gimmickry and the cool spirit of the music will appeal to many. The band’s music, on first look, may seem potentially inaccessible to everyday listeners, but even a cursory listen proves otherwise. “Flying Underwater” is one of the tracks many newcomers may hook onto.
“Sebastian’s Cat”, however, will challenge those same listeners. There’s an unexpected playfulness in this piece and its subtle shifts of tempo are adroitly handled. Percussion is the key cog in the song’s machinery, but he interlaces surprising other instruments into the song’s tapestry. It is the EP’s longest song, not by much, and its nominal finale without announcing itself as such. “Daybreak and Déjà Vu” is the equivalent of a coda, in some ways, as it’s the aftermath of the previous five songs given musical form. It conveys a settling of accounts and new beginnings coupled with the unmistakable sensation of retracing our steps.
It isn’t difficult to take significant musical statements from this EP. Nor is it difficult to enjoy it as pure entertainment. Elektragaaz’s The Synaesthetic Picture Show Now Playing, Part 5 has elastic artistry, is capable of being all things to all people, and holds up under repeated listens. You can likewise take or leave the band’s conceptual intentions with the release; the songs stand on their own as well as a unified statement. Such durability and depth are rare. It likewise whets our appetite for further chapters in this series, should they choose, without ever distracting from what these songs achieve.
Claire Uebelacker