Reaches
Wherever the Internet Goes, Sorrow Follows
(We Be Friends Records)
3/5
Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter and travelling man of many monikers Justin Randel has fabricated seven intriguingly titled songs here on his second album of electro-pop-sonic sounds as Reaches.
Randal enjoys experimentation. For example, he incorporates piano into “Love to the Ghosts Lost at Sea”—it’s an unexpected and pleasant shift from the electronic static norm of the album. In this particular piece, Randal’s voice floats on a haunting melody that alludes to the ghosts in the piece’s title.
While I’m not partial to his singing due to the difficulty in understanding the lyrics, I also feel that his voice just doesn’t suit the music’s tones. However, if the listener can manage to tune out the singing then the music is mellow and agreeable.