low.poly.exception - NODAL POINT GANG

This Philadelphia, Pennsylvania based electronic musician also shares the name of Neon Shudder, the synthwave/cyberpunk project that we have covered on the site before. The science fiction influenced producer has taken his creativity to a new project that has steadily been an out pour of music since April of 2017. Their EP CYCLE ((1))  released that month to good reception, and his brand of storytelling continued with I N  T H E  A B S E N C E  O F  L I G H T which followed shortly after in June of 2017. Come to the present and low.poly.exception is setting up to release his next album NODAL POINT GANG in just under a week. 

As mentioned above, his focus on narrative meets music which has been hammered down from his haunts in Neon Shudder have closely followed with NODAL POINT GANG. The narrative takes place in 2020 where the government has completely taken control of the internet and all forms of media. To keep information flowing freely, a group of fearless rebels, the titular NODAL POINT GANG, utilizes node points which are "...repurposed servers and systems designed to evade the watchful eyes of the powers that be."

The music that follows is a breed of cyberpunk assets meeting retro bit sounds from video games, while maintaining a modern breath with hints of IDM, ambient, and industrial. They always say that the first impression is the most important bit when being introduced, and the first song on the album 'Warehouse Uplink' makes a grand entrance. It's not loud or in your face, but is a lovely little dance tune that would be perfectly fit for a neon lit walk in the Tokyo jungle. 

Songs such as 'Numinous Courier' provide a much more light, but frantic beat that illustrates the risks of carrying out such legal activities in this fictional universe. Others just provide delightful stretches of ones imagination. I point to songs such as 'Nanocarbon Shrine' and 'Receding Soul-Delay' as examples. And anyone looking for a cinematic song suited for star gazing, drives through the night, or any other such activities you need only listen to 'Faded Semiotics'. 

The other thing I would like to mention is that low.poly.exception has superior production and quality in comparison to his other project, Neon Shudder. Everything sounds better, more mature, and was done in good fashion. 

If there is any criticism I could find within the album it would be on the track 'Disposable Tanto'. I was not a particular fan of the rapid fire percussion found within the song, and found it to be a distraction from the rest charming beat and chimes that laid beneath its crushing breath. But other than that one song, I found the rest of the album to be a delight. 

low.poly.exception is a prime example of cyberpunk done right. While we usually dive into harsher science fiction rhythms for our cyberpunk desires on Brutal Resonance, low.poly.exception proves that a well balanced electronic beat with throwbacks can dominate the genre as much as anything else. This is fuel for a new world that's only just begun to be imagined. I can't wait to see more of low.poly.exception's universe roll out as he continues to produce music. 
Sep 16 2017