derivative - [prologue] - origin of the cyborg

derivative is the fictional persona of an industrial and experimental musician named dy/dx. Inside this person's mind, there are two powers fighting for domination; that of an AI which brings her exceptional power but aggression, as well as her human side which is more rational in her approach to overcoming obstacles. This persona has only just started recently in 2021 with her debut album "[prologue] - origin of the cyborg" (here on out referred to as "[prologue]") releasing on September 18th. For a debut album, however, the entirety of "[prologue]" fails to live up to potential due to its demo-like quality. 

The album begins off with 'Moustrap // Hamster Wheel'. There's a consistent effort to keep the song interesting, as it begins with the steady but aggressive steel drum beat and a simple electronic bassline. Multiple times throughout the song does derivative spice things up, such as around the three-and-a-half minute mark where these odd synths straight out of a horror movie play out. That being said, the steel drum almost sounds as if derivative is slapping a stick on a tin can and the overall quality of the track is rather horrid. It sounds like it wasn't mixed or mastered properly and nothing really pops properly as it should. 



Some of the songs on the album are unlistenable due to the boring audio or lack of production. 'Dark // Light' is one of these tracks; it has an extremely soft underbelly with more of the tin can sounding drums that play in quick succession. But everything is so quiet that I could barely pay attention to the track even while I was doing nothing. 'I Deserve It' is another such track that I found to be unbearable thanks to a myriad of experimental sounds that did not fit together; it's one of those songs where every beat and rhythm sounds as if it's trying to do its own thing without working in harmony. 'Proxy' is the last of this set of songs that I wish to discuss; again, I feel as if the song is just way to quiet, everything sounds unproduced, and that demo-like quality hits in again. 

"[prologue]" has a shift in tone that starts with 'The Doors Are Locked'. Rather than focusing on fast rhythms, steel drums, and the like, I am fed dark ambient like structures. I can't say I was a fan of the skipping like effects that are at the intro of the song, but as far as a fulfilling sound goes, derivative gets closer here. 'Imprisoning the Goddess' still contains a demo-like quality, but there's fulfilling sound with heavier overtones and a drone-like synth that plays throughout the song. 'Smoke // Mirrors' has a bit of a witch house vibe about it thanks to a few dragging synths and the like. I wouldn't call these last couple of tracks good, but they are closer to an actual song than what I listened to previously. 

"[prologue]" is a messy release to say the very least. There are several songs that completely lack harmony; the instruments fail to work with one another despite the intent to create a steady rhythm. The songs are sometimes so quiet that I had to turn my headphones up on multiple occasions just to hear what was going on - that is a feat that does not happen when I'm listening to or reviewing other albums. Then there's the fact that the whole album sounds like an unfinished, unproduced demo; it lacks quality and doesn't seem to have been mixed or mastered properly. For those reasons I cannot recommend this album to anyone. Two-and-a-half out of ten. 
Sep 07 2021