Phil Western - Melodium download free

Complacency is not a word that could ever be used to describe Phil Western. When he gets inspired to create, the releases start flooding out. Case in point, Melodium, his second new album of 2013. Phil's at a very interesting point in his career: he's had side projects, he's experimented with almost every style under the sun and with all of that knowledge at his fingertips has put out what I would consider one of his best works yet. This isn't effervescent praise just flowing forth for the sake of it. I know Western's oeuvre quite well, almost too well some would say. Along with cEvin Key, he operates under the names Download and Plateau, with Mark Spybey he is part of Beehatch just to give you a partial idea of who this guy bounces musical ideas back and forth with when he's not letting the synapses in his own head lead the way.As his last album was a hard-charging affair of sleek beats and previously Forbidden aggression, so Melodium is Western getting melodic. So melodic in fact that I have to check that its him, wait a minute, another plastering of effects and synthesis just rolled over me... its him alright. The element I enjoyed the most about what he does has also snuck back into the mix on here. This is remarkably psychedelic and almost borders on an electronic take on space rock. Yet it isn't. Far from it. Melodium I can best sum up as being what you put on in your backyard and watch the wind manipulate the leaves on the trees to. Something animates it all, something you can't see, but it's there. Watching. Waiting. The rendering of authoritative musicianship and absolutely first-rate songwriting. There's no grey area to wonder about with Melodium, these are no fiddling odes to studio mischief, these are just some damn addictive tunes.And when at last the sweet scent of the blossoms wafts across your hazily smiling lips, all that you feel is that you are at home. You have always been here. Bits of The Escapist, particles of 4am, the minuate of World's End and yes, even those viciously confrontational albums he did as Kone; they have all been leading to this. I can hear their influences but not their content, Western uses them as a point of departure. Yet again he confounds my ears by showing me just one more side to his creative process. With Melodium, it's quite apparent he wanted to craft accessible songs and yet still have them retain all the delicious kinks and quirks we know and appreciate him so much for.So as he's feeling prolific this year, I'd highly recommend you go to his site and investigate this man's creations. I'm no technically minded man, but based on what I'm hearing I'd say the man has gotten more than a few new toys. Part of me hopes he's releasing so frequently in order to work up to the next issuance of the Dat Hell series. But even if that never happens, even if he just chooses to continue putting out his own material via the digital platform: he can count me in. Every time.