Harry Tallin / The Exciter / River Girls / Released: 12.02.15
The Exciter is a part nostalgic, part lonesome wander through dystopia. Harry Talin takes his listeners to another dimension through reverb-laced synths and excellent guitar and trumpet solos.
Parts of the album could score a sci-fi like Inception or something as classic as Bladerunner with instrumentals like "The Hair On Your Chest" and "Home Is No Longer Home", which create melancholy soundscapes that are beautiful but make one leery about the future.
Lyrically based parts of the album like "The Question" and "Find You" have persistent beats and a persistent crescendo, adding sounds and increasing in complexity until the completion of each track. These songs create a subject as complex as one's mind, the music and lyrics being the weight of thoughts driving the song forward until it ends without warning. "The question still remains / I can't sleep at night / The question still remains / When you hold me, What would you say if you could? / What would you say? / I know I would," Talin moans over the twilight groove of "Find You".
Talin has stated that the album title is a reference to his need to always feel like being the excited or happy person in a group of people to keep everyone else feeling excited and energized. This idea adds an interesting complex to the downtempo tone of the album and gives weight to the lyrics as they showcase Talin's struggle to find the balance between being the lively one in a group of people and just being his natural self.
The album waxes nostalgic for me because of Talin's voice, sounding somewhat like an iconic tenor of the 80’s and futuristic at the same time because of the pitch bent reverberations from Talin's keyboard.
Overall, this album is a real keeper for someone looking for a steady nod and a deep listening experience.
Favorite tracks: "Find You" and "In the Dark"
— Eston Stowers