New Spirits” by Teen Daze, which is the stage moniker of electronic musician Jamison Isaak, is beautiful, floating, ethereal. There’s a dreamlike, dissociative feel to the music. There’s something about it that feels like you’re watching, and hearing, something unfold from a distance.
I’m reminded of the remove of the young protagonist in Lost in Translation, as we watches the sheer poetry of daily life, the lichen-draped dollhouse beauty of Japanese landscaping and the quiet transcendence of Buddhist worship. She can’t allow herself to feel anything or it will be all too much.
I’m reminded of a strange phenomenon called Stendhal syndrome, sometimes known as Florence syndrome, in which a person is sent into near collapse when exposed to–forgive me, when words fail me, Wikipedia must suffice–“to objects, artworks, or phenomena of great beauty and antiquity.”
Teen Daze, however, staves off any chance of collapse by using a light and delicate hand throughout this latest offering. The instrument of choice, metaphorically speaking, is not a hatchet but the kind of small cushioned mallet employed by an Indonesian gamelan orchestra.
It’s also nice to hear a composition that stays in its lane. This is a song that had me at hello. There is a slight contraction and expansion in intricacy, almost like breathing, but no need for words, loud quiet loud build or epic peaks and crevasses.
This is a small treasure that can be used as a meditative focus or provide both inspiration and a sonic Tempur-pedic mattress for other pursuits. I’ll be looking more into Teen Daze.
–Sarah Torribio
Listen to more songs of the day HERE
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