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The second album by American artist and producer JJ Weihl, also known as Discovery Zone, features a combination of vaporwave’s nostalgic 80s sound, Nite Jewel’s nocturnal funk-pop, the Mood Hut label’s blissful Balearic songs, and the type of balladry often heard at a Twin Peaks bar in between encounters with otherworldly chaos.
The attention to historical accuracy is skillfully depicted, with simulated choir vocals reminiscent of Fairlight-style technology and the same ascending synth sound utilized by Alice Coltrane on her meditation recordings to convey an expanding consciousness. As expected, there are also saxophone solos. This combination of elements can sometimes give the impression that the numerous pop-ambient instrumentals serve as background music for a company selling healing crystals, and many of them are not particularly memorable.
Weihl’s songwriting is particularly strong. The synthpop in Pair a Dice stands out against the minor chords, creating a musical representation of the lyrics: “How can you leave when you’re trapped in someone else’s dream?” The combination of nostalgia and nostalgic commercialism from the 80s is skillfully evoked in the album’s most powerful melody, Mall of Luv: “Take me back to the Mall of Luv / I want to buy it, I want to exist within it.” This track will satisfy those who may have put aside their John Maus records after he participated in the Capitol riot on January 6th. Test brings to mind Julia Holter, with an echo that gives the feeling of being in an abandoned cabaret venue. Again, the lyrics transport you out of the mundaneness of everyday life: “Heaven is a place where nothing can be purchased / The unknown awaits you, an endless surprise.” At her best, Weihl paints a picture of the past that we choose to remember, even if we may have never actually lived through it. It captures the collective fantasies of a culture retreating from the horror of the present.
Source: theguardian.com
