Silicon Tare

Last updated

Silicon Tare
Com Truise Silicon Tare.jpg
EP by
ReleasedApril 1, 2016 (2016-04-01)
Length21:46
Label Ghostly International
Producer Seth Haley
Com Truise chronology
Wave 1
(2014)
Silicon Tare
(2016)
Iteration
(2017)
Singles from Silicon Tare
  1. "Diffraction"
    Released: February 10, 2016
  2. "Silicon Tare"
    Released: March 10, 2016

Silicon Tare is the fourth extended play by American musician Seth Haley under his stage name Com Truise. It was released on April 1, 2016, by Ghostly International. Haley described his releases as Com Truise as parts of a sci-fi story about the world's first "synthetic astronaut", which started on his first studio album, Galactic Melt (2011), and Silicon Tare is where the astronaut makes contact with the Wave 1 colony. The EP was influenced in part by Haley moving to the West Coast.

Contents

Silicon Tare comprises five tracks and is considered by critics to be "warmer" and "faster" than previous releases. The EP was promoted with two singles and earned generally positive reviews, but received criticism for being too similar to previous releases. Commercially, it reached the fourth position on Billboard's Dance/Electronic Albums chart.

Background and release

Silicon Tare is part of a sci-fi story created by Seth Haley about "Earth's first synthetic astronaut", which began on Haley's debut album, Galactic Melt (2011), and continued in his Wave 1 (2014) EP. According to Ghostly International, the label on which Haley's albums are released, this is where the story "takes a dark turn". At the conclusion of Wave 1, the astronaut successfully makes contact with the "Wave 1 colony". However, "things get fuzzy. He falls in love; there is a war coming. A story that began in hope and dreams of discovery ends on an uncertain note. Change is in the air." Silicon Tare was the second last release of the story, with the last one being Haley's second studio album, Iteration (2017). [1]

Haley declared that some tracks of the EP were "a little older", while others were influenced by him moving from the East Coast to the West Coast because it "has its own weird magic to it." His studio on the West Coast was a house he rented from a friend. He described the studio as poorly organized and, at the time, a work in progress. He explained that "[i]t was more an experiment for me to try to do something that sounds like me, but different, to keep the door open for the future of the Com Truise project." [2]

On February 10, 2016, he announced Silicon Tare, releasing "Diffraction" as the lead single. [3] Exactly one month later, Haley released the title track of the album. [4] Silicon Tare was released on April 1, 2016, by Ghostly International. [1]

Composition

AllMusic's Paul Simpson said that the EP has "faster, more urgent tempos than any previous Com Truise release." [5] In an interview, Haley said that the EP felt "a little warmer" than previous releases because of an update on the software he uses to create music, making it sound "a little bit more open". [2] According to Ghostly, the album presents his "always-cinematic signature sound" and "4/4 kick drum patterns" with "colorful and varied" tempos and dynamics. [1]

Silicon Tare opens with "Sunspot", with "its soft-pink tone, synthetic slap bass and quasi-808 percussion [recalling] the edgier end of '80s pop." It then progresses to "Forgive", with "fat streaks of synth and a gleefully hectic rhythm track that stops, starts and sputters over and over again." [1] The third track is "Diffraction", described as "a cosmic pinball machine of scattered synth". [3] "Diffraction" is followed by the title track, "where the relationship between the low, bass-thuds and the glistening high notes are at their most entangled and emotive." [6] The EP closes with "du Zirconia", a "meticulously-crafted build-up tune." [7]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 68/100 [8]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [5]
Exclaim! 6/10 [9]
The Line of Best Fit 7/10 [6]
Pitchfork 5.9/10 [10]
PopMatters 6/10 [7]
Tiny Mix Tapes Disc Plain red.svgDisc Plain red.svgDisc Plain red.svgCercle rouge 100%25.svgCercle rouge 100%25.svg [11]

On review aggregator Metacritic, Silicon Tare has a rating of 68/100, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [8] AllMusic's Paul Simpson considered it "his most technologically advanced recording to date, doing without the hazy, grainy textures he's become known for", with a high-quality sound. [5] Rob Arcand wrote to Tiny Mix Tapes that the EP resembled 2010, "which could be a good thing, depending on how you look at it." [11] Marc Hogan of Pitchfork criticized it by writing that it did "little" to expand on the songs' initial ideas. [10]

Some critics noted similarities between Silicon Tare and previous releases. Luke Pearson wrote to Exclaim! that it "sounds like an artist perfecting his style as opposed to developing it". [9] Hogan felt that the EP didn't significantly differ from previous releases, "so if you liked [them] there's little here to find too upsetting". [10] However, John Bell declared to The Line of Best Fit that the album was "a little more energetic" than previous releases and described it as "very strong [...] energetic and intense, [promising] a high-octane finale." [6] According to PopMatters ' Colin Fitzgerald, Haley was limiting himself "by never abandoning his comfort zone", and concluded the review by saying that Silicon Tare "is a Com Truise EP for Com Truise fans". [7]

Track listing

All tracks were composed and performed by Seth Haley as Com Truise. [12]

No.TitleLength
1."Sunspot"4:04
2."Forgive"3:26
3."Diffraction"4:13
4."Silicon Tare"4:02
5."du Zirconia"5:58
Total length:21:46

Charts

Chart (2016)Peak
position
US Top Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard) [13] 4

Related Research Articles

Ghostly International is an American independent record label founded in 1999 by Samuel Valenti IV and currently headquartered in Brooklyn, New York City. Chief artists include Matthew Dear, Dabrye, Com Truise, Tycho, Gold Panda, School of Seven Bells, Mux Mool, and Shigeto.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jon Gooch</span> British drum and bass, dubstep and electro house producer and DJ

Jonathan Barry Gooch, more commonly known by his stage names Feed Me and Spor, is a British drum and bass, dubstep and electro house producer and DJ. He is currently managed by Three Six Zero Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mat Zo</span> British electronic music producer

Matan Zohar, better known by his stage name Mat Zo, is a British DJ and electronic music producer. Zohar released his debut album, Damage Control, via the Anjunabeats and Astralwerks labels on 5 November 2013. His second studio album, Self Assemble, was released on 25 March 2016 under his own Mad Zoo label.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Animal Collective</span> American experimental pop band

Animal Collective is an American experimental pop band formed in Baltimore, Maryland. Its members consist of Avey Tare, Panda Bear, Geologist, and Deakin. The band's work is characterized by an eclectic exploration of styles, including psychedelia, freak folk, noise, and electronica, with the use of elements such as loops, drones, sampling, vocal harmonies, and sound collage. AllMusic's Fred Thomas suggests that the group "defined the face of independent experimental rock during the 2000s and 2010s."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Com Truise</span> American electronic musician and DJ (born 1985)

Seth Haley, known by his stage name Com Truise, is an American electronic musician and DJ. His stage name is a spoonerism of the name of American actor Tom Cruise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andy Stott</span> British musician and producer

Andy Stott is a British electronic musician and producer, living in Manchester.

<i>In Decay</i> 2012 compilation album by Com Truise

In Decay is a compilation album by American electronic musician Seth Haley's project Com Truise, released on July 16, 2012, by the independent record label Ghostly International. It is a collection of tracks that, prior to the release, were only available as tracks found on Haley's internet mixtape series, Komputer Kasts, and his SoundCloud account. These early tracks, some of which were produced before the release of his debut EP, Cyanide Sisters (2010), showcase Haley exploring an electropop funk music sound that would later come to define Com Truise. Critical reception upon release was mixed; a common praise was the album's sound design, while frequent criticisms were its repetition, and lack of distinct tone and feel of each track. A follow-up compilation album, In Decay, Too, was released in 2020.

<i>Galactic Melt</i> 2011 studio album by Com Truise

Galactic Melt is the debut studio album by American electronic musician Com Truise, released on June 5, 2011 by the independent record label Ghostly International.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seven Lions</span> Musical artist

Jeff Montalvo, known professionally as Seven Lions, is an American DJ, record producer, instrumentalist and remixer from Santa Barbara, California. Active musically since 2010, his music combines styles as diverse as trance, melodic dubstep, drum and bass, glitch hop, and electro house. He has released eight EPs, multiple singles, and official remixes for record labels such as Casablanca Records, Owsla, Viper Recordings, Anjunabeats, Republic Records and Monstercat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ZHU (musician)</span> American musician and producer (born 1989)

Steven Zhu, known mononymously as Zhu, is an American electronic music producer and singer who has been active since the beginning of 2014, signed to Mind of a Genius Records. Until mid-2014, ZHU remained anonymous, asking to be judged by his music alone. His debut album, Generationwhy, was released on July 29, 2016 and first premiered at Coachella during his closing set in the Sahara Tent. ZHU's Coachella performance was praised, with a writer for the New York Observer suggesting that he could be "the next Daft Punk".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">C418</span> German musician, producer and sound engineer (born 1989)

Daniel Rosenfeld, better known as C418, is a German musician, producer and sound engineer, best known as the composer and sound designer for the sandbox video game Minecraft. He has also written and produced the theme for Beyond Stranger Things and the soundtrack for the Steam release of Cookie Clicker. He has also DJed for American rock band Anamanaguchi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lane 8</span> American musician

Daniel Goldstein, better known by his stage name Lane 8, is an American musician, DJ, and electronic music producer. Currently residing in Denver, Colorado, he is signed to English deep house label Anjunadeep. Pete Tong named Lane 8 a "Future Star" and Dancing Astronaut included him in their '25 Artists to Watch in 2015'. His debut studio album Rise, was released on July 17, 2015. More recently, he has been releasing music through his own label This Never Happened.

<i>Wave 1</i> 2014 EP by Com Truise

Wave 1 is the third extended play released under synthwave musician Seth Haley's pseudonym Com Truise. Haley described his releases as Com Truise as parts of a story about the world's first "Synthetic Astronaut" on his adventure to a planet, and Wave 1 is where he lands on a kind-of replica of Earth. Musically, Haley had to get inspiration from several artists as this part of the story is also where the music starts to change.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gryffin</span> American DJ and music producer

Dan Griffith, known by his stage name Gryffin, is an American musician, DJ, and music producer. He gained recognition for remixing some well-known songs such as Tove Lo's "Talking Body", Maroon 5's "Animals" and Years & Years' "Desire".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elephante</span> American disc jockey and music producer

Tim Heng Wu, better known by his stage name Elephante, is an American musician, DJ and music producer based in Los Angeles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Attlas</span> Musical artist

Jeff Hartford, better known by his stage name Attlas, is a Canadian DJ, electronic music producer and musician. Hartford is known for his progressive house and electronica releases on the electronic label mau5trap and has often appeared the label's We are Friends album series. He has released three albums, five extended plays, and several other singles and has received two Juno Award nominations over the course of his career. He is also half of the group Sun Lo with Richard Walters.

<i>Iteration</i> (album) 2017 studio album by Com Truise

Iteration is the second studio album by American electronic musician Seth Haley as Com Truise, released on June 16, 2017, by Ghostly International. It is the last in his series of albums about the story of a fictional astronaut named Com Truise. This part of the story involves Truise escaping with his alien lover from the planet Wave 1 in order to live in space together. Iteration is the project's first studio album since In Decay (2012). Haley went to record in Burbank, California, an area with a very "open space", in order to get excited into the material he was making. The space is reflected in the sound and production of the music, which is less compressed and more simple than Haley's previous Com Truise albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Com Truise discography</span>

The discography of American synthwave musician Com Truise consists of three studio albums, two compilation albums, eight music videos, four extended plays (EP), 22 singles, three production credits, one writing credit, and 49 remixes.

<i>Persuasion System</i> 2019 studio album by Com Truise

Persuasion System is a mini-LP by American musician Seth Haley under his stage name Com Truise. It was released on May 17, 2019, by Ghostly International. It received generally favorable reviews from critics.

<i>In Decay, Too</i> 2020 compilation album by Com Truise

In Decay, Too is a compilation album by American electronic musician Seth Haley's project Com Truise, released on December 4, 2020, by the independent record label Ghostly International. The record is a collection of tracks that, before its release, were previously unheard by fans, similarly to his previous compilation album, In Decay. The collection was assembled by Polychora, an archivist of Com Truise's material dating back to his Komputer Cast days. Lead track off the album is "False Ascendancy," released on October 14, 2020. It was followed by "Compress—Fuse", released on November 18.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Silicon Tare EP". Ghostly International. Archived from the original on June 14, 2021. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  2. 1 2 Zaleski, Annie (May 25, 2016). "The Weekly Interview: Electronic Musician Com Truise". Las Vegas Weekly . Archived from the original on June 15, 2021. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  3. 1 2 Brown, Harley (February 10, 2016). "Com Truise Announces New EP, 'Silicon Tare,' Shares Prismatic 'Diffraction'". Spin . Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  4. Day, Laurence. "Com Truise drops "Silicon Tare", the first track from his upcoming EP of the same name". The Line of Best Fit . Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  5. 1 2 3 Simpson, Paul. "Silicon Tare - Com Truise | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Archived from the original on June 14, 2021. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  6. 1 2 3 Bell, John (March 29, 2016). "Com Truise continues his sci-fi saga with energetic third EP Silicon Tare". The Line of Best Fit . Archived from the original on June 14, 2021. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  7. 1 2 3 Fitzgerald, Colin (April 8, 2016). "Com Truise: Silicon Tare". PopMatters . Archived from the original on June 14, 2021. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  8. 1 2 "Silicon Tare [EP] by Com Truise". Metacritic. Archived from the original on June 14, 2021. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  9. 1 2 Pearson, Luke (March 30, 2016). "Com Truise Silicon Tare". Exclaim! . Archived from the original on June 14, 2021. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  10. 1 2 3 Hogan, Marc (April 4, 2016). "Com Truise: Silicon Tare EP". Pitchfork . Archived from the original on June 14, 2021. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  11. 1 2 "Music Review: Com Truise - Silicon Tare [EP]". Tiny Mix Tapes . Archived from the original on June 14, 2021. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  12. Ghostly International (April 1, 2016). Silicon Tare (liner notes). GI-263
  13. "Com Truise Chart History (Top Dance/Electronic Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 14, 2021.