In Earmilk's recently published "Top 20 Hip-Hop albums of 2011" post, you may have read me refer to the "Chillwave" genre as a half-life. This was probably due to my recognition of the genres' tight-knit handful of affluentials seemingly move toward differently describable sounds. Regardless of how excellent the music was that dropped last year, whether it be Washed Out's blissfully spacious aural journey Within and Without, or Toro Y Moi's Unequivocally funky homage to disco and boogie-funk on the Freaking Out EP, the years close seemingly brought and end to the genre as quickly and abrupt as its rise. With that said, I firmly and humbly stand corrected.
What I should have said was that the hype surrounding the genre was half-lived. While some of "Chillwave's" more recognizable initiators continue experimenting with synths, break beats, indie-pop and other sounds that when layered could be labeled contrastingly, the influence stretches far beyond that of the initial circle. Case in point, Underwater Seacreatures, have been developing their own special blend of delightfully upbeat, submersed and ambient adoration of 80's dance and funk. Coming out of Richmond, VA's growing music community, the duo comprised of Marcos Eduardo De Silva and Nathan Keeys have been garnering some well received attention via word of mouth and the cities bustling basement party scene, which often double as sites for shows from local artist. Appropriately titled, Underwater Seacreatures sounds like it comes from beneath. While the vocals are ironically more shallow than the depth of sound, the effect provides a nice "back-to-reality" to keep you from losing yourself (unless you're looking for that). The atmospheric backdrop given here is probably as vast as the ocean; from the lounge-y beat syncopation, warped air filters, panned synth percussive and overall sonic playfulness, you may feel like Nemo in a coral reef. This must be what fish dance to.
Keep Listening.
