Portland-based synth-pop/disco artist and producer Sines, aka Jason Wann, recently dropped his new album, A Series of Moments, an album paying respect to the dance music he grew up with.
Sines says, “The inspiration for this record came from my experiences dancing in nightclubs in my early youth and the magic I feel when I hear a kick-ass dance record. I wanted to make a record inspired by those sweaty hedonistic nights and something that was classic in a way. I think a lot of dance music is boring and I wanted to write something that was insanely catchy like a pop song but that also came from a culture of dance music and that paid respect to proper dance music going all the way back to disco.”
He goes on to add, “I wanted this album to do a couple of things. One, I wanted the album to play like a greatest hits album. I wanted to make a record that featured different vocalists to express different feelings for each of the tracks, but I ALSO wanted the whole thing to work as a unit, and the core of the project to be a bunch of really good songs. Two, I wanted to tell stories from my life. I wanted this record to be about something. I wanted to create something that lives beyond me. All of the songs are based on actual experiences that I have gone through in my life, a series of moments if you will.”
As a teenager, Jason Wann listened to Kraftwerk, Vince Clarke, Giorgio Moroder, Donna Summer, Blondie, and ABBA, followed by immersing himself in new wave music. After purchasing a synthesizer, he started creating and releasing music under various names, of which Sines is the most recent.
Encompassing 14-tracks, entry points on the album include “Something in the Way,” featuring the crystalline, posh voice of Kitty Richardson. Riding a thumping rhythm topped by shimmering colors, the tune blends hints of new wave and dance music into a contagious song.
“Pretty Boy” rolls out on a muscular beat as wavering, kaleidoscopic layers of disco colors unfold overhead. A velvety female voice infuses the lyrics with alluring timbres. While “Undone,” reminiscent of ABBA, features oscillating hues and a vibrating bassline. Lush vocals and radiant harmonies give the tune gleaming coloration, brimming with sensuous emotions.
“Dancing in the Rain” throbs with polychromatic surfaces on top of a pulsating dance rhythm. Whispery, voluptuous vocals infuse the lyrics with scintillating tones. “Mr. Ciao” features the delicate, plush voice of Christina Siravo traveling over swirling synths and a hammering kick-drum.
The last track, “Iva,” features light, twirling hues, while a sylph-like voice gives the lyrics warm, quixotic savors. Burbling, percolating accents highlight the harmonic flow with luminous tones.
Swanky and stylish, A Series of Moments delivers polished leitmotifs mirroring the heady aromas of retro electronic dance music.
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