SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: CHEMICAL WAVES – OUR LOVE IN A DYING WORLD

CHEMICAL WAVES
OUR LOVE IN A DYING WORLD
INDEPENDENT

Chemical Waves is the brainchild of Marco Cattani. This is his project, and he has been making music under this moniker for well over 10 years. Our love in a dying world is the first Chemical Waves album since last year’s The End Of Everything (Part 2). That album, the second part of a two-part series, was the conclusion of a very ambitious project and one had to wonder where Chemical Waves would go following that. Our love in a dying world is the answer, and in some ways it does feel like a new beginning for Cattani. And it is equally ambitious.

This is a collection of 1980s influenced electronica which has one foot in darkwave. As usual, Cattani collaborates with a great many artists, such as the opening track “Invitation,” featuring General Trust. The song brings to mind 1980s Depeche Mode, and is incredibly melodic and quite accessible. The song flows nicely into “I laugh alone at night”, which features Mekong. It is a darker sounding track, both musically and lyrically. And it is also a very fascinating song. The layered sounds create an atmosphere that has less to do with laughing and much more with nightmares.

The album plays out with the similar style throughout. The use of synthesizers, keyboards and programming creates a nostalgic tip of the hat to the past but is also forward thinking at the same time. Utilizing different artists for each song helps create a diverse sound. But it is the two instrumentals that are the highlights for me. “Our place” is a creative dive into swelling synthesizers and is almost an electronic orchestra. The song builds and builds into an incredible calm ending. It is quite brilliant. The second instrumental is the closing track, the all too short “Our last march” which does sound like a funeral procession played on a simple keyboard. It is not overproduced and is quite effective. The dramatic ending is worth the price of admission alone and sounds like it is setting the album up for a sequel.

Our love in a dying world is an album that pays tribute to those who came before and sets its own course. Chemical Waves do wear their influences on their sleeve, but they incorporate the sounds and music to create their own distinct sound and music. The production is great, and the songs stay with you long after the album is over. The music created by Chemical Waves sounds familiar yet there are a lot of twists and turns to keep the listener intrigued and wanting just a little bit more. Cattani has done it again, with a very worthy follow up to his last two-part series of albums, The End Of Everything Parts 1 and 2.

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