July 2016

By Clark Powell & Astro Kid. Remix of “Beatdown” by Curt Blakeslee.

Beatdown sees a whole slew of new mixes on this album. This track takes a little while to crank its way up to full-on face-melt. But by the second half, after layer upon layer of mix is brought on, it’s a hell of a jam.

Arrangement by Michael Guy Bowman, Marcy Nabors, Clark Powell, and Erik Scheele. Instrumental contributions by Erik Scheele, Tensei, Paul Henderson, Marcy Nabors, and Jamie Paige Stanley.

A sweeping medley / mashup of Ruins, Flare, and Explore. The first half of the song’s pretty much directly sampled from the first two songs on that list, but that lead-up pays off big time starting around 2:00. This album has more ‘whoa’ moments on it than any other before it.

Solid production values, too. Starting with Solar Voyage, all the way through Thanks for Playing, the tracks flow together in smooth transitions. Nothing is sacrificed in the stand-alone songs, yet it all comes together as one solid half-an-hour of music.