The subdued form of electronic-pop that NYC-based Silk Flowers pursue is a glittery cross between industrial ambience and chillwave. Behind their simplistic leads of bass-synth and keyboards, the trio presents interesting pieces of percussive-laden samples that range in feel from chaos to Shangri-la. More often than not, the song’s backgrounds mimic the sounds of a metropolis or grimy scene of industry. The stuttering chiptune-like synths of “Chance” slowly progress over a ringing reminiscent of a harbor busy with freighters and forklifts, while the bouncy griminess of “Frozen Moments” is supplemented by an ambulance-like whirring in the distance. Early Ariel Pink comparisons are fairly abundant, though it would be wiser to use his friend John Maus as a point of comparison. His beautiful arrangements are sometimes lost behind a unique mode of production that reflects the soundtrack to a 1980s science documentary. But once you can get over his bizarrely deadpan vocals and style of production (think Carl Sagan’s “Cosmos”!), it is clear that his lack of recognition is slightly absurd. After all, anyone who influences a promising act like Silk Flowers deserves their due.

Their second album, Ltd. Form, is a great find for any fan of Maus, OMD, or Depeche Mode. “Fruit of the Vine” pursues a more conventional rhythmic route, complete with a straight drum loop more reminiscent of club-ready dance than atmospheric synth-pop. Once a floating arpeggio gets things underway, an airy synth pad flutters with a sort of whimsical elegance, sporadically overlapped by a grimy synth more akin to Daft Punk than Air. Once the spacey synth arpeggio returns, we are introduced to the group’s unconventional vocals. Similar to Maus’ deadpan drawl, the voice is neither dominating nor melodically sweeping, but beneficial nonetheless. Dave Gahan can be credited as a huge influence to this styling as well. Silk Flowers sometimes have the tendency to meander along too much, like on the overly placid “Covered Lamp”. It has nothing to do with it being an instrumental effort, as many of the tracks on Ltd. Form are just that. The excellent “Small Fortune” uses slick guitar reverberations reminiscent of Daft Punk and Ratatat over caressing synth pads that, once again, resemble a sci-fi sort of exoticness.

The infrequency of vocals on Ltd. Form proves for effectiveness in the long run. The immediate use of them on “Band of Color” may catch listeners in the midst of the album off guard, but the slick variety of the track provides no obstacles. In fact, many listeners will likely wonder why vocals were not featured more prominently after listening to this. Here, it resembles Devo’s automated swagger behind stabs of synths and murky bass lines. For different effect, the whispering vocals in “Present Dreams” provide a solemnly haunting effect, like the sounds of a dolphin’s sonar across the distance of a dark sea. The arpeggio that subsequently follows is quite beautiful despite its simplicity, hearkening back to ‘80s synth-pop in the vein of Erasure and Yazoo. While Ltd. Form has nothing that will jump Silk Flowers to the echelons of contemporary synth-pop recognition, it will appeal to a niche that has been waiting long for an original release that is tributary without being derivative.

RIYL: John Maus, Depeche Mode, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Ariel Pink, Devo, Gary Numan, Air, Erasure, Ultravox, The Human League, Blancmange, Heaven 17, Visage

Silk Flowers – Small Fortune

Silk Flowers – Band Of Color

Silk Flowers – Frozen Moments

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Things usually fare well for film geeks when they show a passion for making music. By film “geeks”, I’m not referring to that friend who can name every David Lynch or Lars von Trier film. They might know every underground film in existence, but if they have no knowledge of production or the film aesthetic than they are merely a critic (and probably a bad one at that). This is not to say that an artist cannot simultaneously be an enthusiast of his own medium, and vice versa. The potential for artistic growth is wonderfully sporadic and somewhat randomized, and when it comes to film-savvy people there tends to be a greater advantage for them to grasp the necessities of quality music. It somewhat mirrors the tendencies of a quality film after all, where atmosphere, performance, and stylistic consistency are vital aspects. In a sense, even though mise en scène is visually bound, music has its own form of it. The subtle, sometimes indescribable tendencies that take place in music set the scene, and it is reliant on the artist to formulate the proper visual and/or audible accompaniment within their medium.

John Kowalski and Rian Trench named their band Solar Bears as a tribute to famed Russian filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky. The two had always shared a love for cinema, but it is hard to say if it ever trumped their love for music. Considering the degree of success they have experienced in the latter thus far, one could say their decision to focus on Solar Bears is in the best of their interests. When speaking about their music, their interest in film immediately emerges. “With Moroder, for instance in Scarface, some of the pieces are quite minimal but they are very effective,” Kowalski said excitedly in an interview with Dummy, who would also enforce the duo’s enthusiasm with their “ability to paint a vivid landscape with a relatively minimal palette; creating resonant textures from very little”. Judging by their colorfully atmospherically music, you get the sense they would produce something evolutionary on film… something that evolves from monochromatic dullness to a thriving gloss of colors and imagery. Their own music would be a perfect backdrop considering it can pull precisely the same thing off.

Solar Bears’ debut LP, She Was Coloured In, contains a rather apt cover image. You see a red woman crossing her hands with reflections of her by her side, all set in a different color. The colors actually reflect the three monochrome images on a TV – RGB – and the woman’s figure looks as if it is fading out against analog video noise. As one of the better electronic debuts of 2010, She Was Coloured In shows the band’s range of flexibility. They can at one point sound like a producer of lullabies, with soft sweeping synths collaborating with luxurious orchestral elements, like the lucid twinkle of arpeggios in “Solarization” or the exotic “Cub”, which dabbles in woodwind-like sounds over chirpy synth pads. That a song called “Quiet Planet” represents one of their more rambunctious works is ironic, but it certainly show their infectious works more in the vein of a Röyksopp or Ratatat. Their restrained efforts may be more impressive though, at least for those accustomed to more organic and atmospheric works by artists like Kraftwerk and Yellow Magic Orchestra.

Their music recalls Kraftwerk’s innate abilities to turn electronic sounds into consummate atmospheres, whether it be complete with lavish hooks or developmental chaos. The chiptune-like percussion maintains a steady futuristic tone, often in 4/4 and accompanied by instruments that are both organic and technological. Like the interlude in “Forest of Fountains”, around 02:19, when it goes from a funk-like trance into a soft interlude of guitars. The transition is mesmerizing, as the cohesiveness of the journey is worth listening for alone. Their bass also has a tendency to sound organic, like in “Children of the Times” where a deep bass tone resonates alongside a vocoder and soft electro-keys, and it is one component of an essentially powerful rhythm section. At least for the sound they successfully produce here. They tread an appropriate line between naturally existent field recordings and man-made electronica, pushing forth an interesting emphasis on the production of their own music in the process. The sonorous tone of the synth pad throughout “Twin Stars” has a cinematic feel to it, almost like the build-up to a frenzied battle in some sophisticated manga re-enactment. The little flicker of synths that gradually add on contribute to the pulsating suspense. With examples like these, the duo are clearly masters of believable soundscapes, and their elaborate songwriting and production really go a long way in separating Solar Bears from the masses of atmospherically-dependent electronic artists.

RIYL: Kraftwerk, Yellow Magic Orchestra, Röyksopp, Ratatat, Gauntlet Hair, Twin Shadow, Tamaryn, Candy Claws, Women, Neu!, Elektric Music, Klaus Schulze, Cluster, Tangerine Dream, New Order, OMD, Orbital, Ultravox, Front 242, Laibach, Harmonia, Yello, Telex, Depeche Mode, Can

Solar Bears – Forest Of Fountains

Solar Bears – Children of the Times

Solar Bears – She Was Coloured In

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