Tritonal - Lights Over Austin / Northern Aura mp3 album

What a great release from this Texas duo! Tritonal is one fast rising team and two of their early releases, Northern Aura and Lights Over Austin, demonstrate this. Northern Aura is my personal of the two, even though it seems to have been given a little less exposure compared to the other song. Northern Aura is a calm, no nonsense uplifter, with a melody that will put you in a positive mood. There is no formal (or at least obvious) single build-up or breakdown of which to speak, though the song does maintain its pace and general energy, even during the "breaks." The bassline is driving, but not overpowering. There are also several unique synth lead and pad sounds (for this time period) that dominate and they seem to have a subtle reference to that old Texas/western United States desert, old west feel/sound. Maybe it's because of the sort of hollow, lightly metallic feel of the synths (in addition to other nuanced techniques) that give this impression. This is most obvious around 2:15-3:15 into the song and is scattered across various other places. Certainly, these things all contribute to one original release. 5/5 Lights Over Austin is another solid track, again with unique instruments. The bassline is more pronounced and diverse in this one and contributes to the central melody more than any of the "main" lead synths. The use of chopped vocals is very 2008 and provide a funky atmosphere throughout. 4/5 Together, this is a 5/5 release. With Tritonal moving up at a stellar pace, people not yet familiar with these guys will one day look back to Tritonal's 2008 songs and see this rewarding release waiting to be enjoyed.