Artist of the Week - 25 January 2009

Let's cut the small talk and get on with my Artist of the Week!

Here they are: Edison Gem

I discovered Edison Gem on one of my safaris through the artists on myspace.com.

How did I get hooked on their sound?

Easy! The song "Things Change" did me in.

The wonderful starting synths are just loud enough to let the atmospheric drum-n-bass sneak in. When the big beat drops, your ears are hit with a symbiosis of downtempo vocals and Bristol-light (the rough bass line alongside of the drums reminds me of a softer version of Breakbeat Era's "Ultraobscene"). The lyrics are captivating and are able to be applied to so many situations: a break-up after a relationship that lasted many-a-year, losing touch with reality, a huge change in your normal routine (loss of a job, loss of a loved one, etc), even just trying to go on with life! The words are so soft, comforting, and reassuring. Great inspirational/reflectional song! 

"Should've done better" is another keeper which caught me unawares. The hook is just so catchy, the chorus - catchy, the throbbing synth sample - catchy, the "second movement(?)" - suprising (see, you thought I'd say catchy! Man, oh man. GOTCHA!) Trance-inducing head-bobbing at its best.

"Holdback" is a song that's perfect for dealing with situations where you are meant to be "seen not heard," like that pill of conformity which helps you toe the line of sanity and sanitarium. They use reverse pyschology (i.e. sarcastic snipe at certain sections of society) allowing you to take in the words, think about it, then realize, "Hey, I've been in a situation like this before... I know how that feels!" 

These are just a few of the "gems" (I know, har har... must have taken me what, 5 DAYS to come up with that one) from their track listing.

While listening to their music I get a sense that Orion definitely knows how to twiddle the knobs well enough to keep you wanting more of his d-n-b vibes without getting too down and dirty. Jadis's lovely vocals seem to keep Orion grounded and focused on the errand they've been destined to see through.

She gives an adept description of the subject matter they cover in their songs:

"You never know how things are going to end up - you can just feel them beginning. You move blindly searching for what matters, and until it smacks you in the face, you won't know what it is." (an excerpt from their myspace page)

Just lovely, lovely stuff!

Head to their myspace page to find out what I'm talking about.

Also, Amazon.com has their EP "Things Change - EP 1" available as an mp3 album download. Om records has their song "Lullabye" on their "Om Chilled: Vol. 2" compilation.