Entry 235 - Erang - Immagination Never Fails

 

Erang is such a mixed bag for me. Some of his stuff is among the best in the dungeon synth genre, others are full of strange experimentation, others still are just not for me. Imagination Never Fails falls somewhere in between the first two options.

The thing that makes this release so bizarre for me is the inconsistency in the quality of the instruments. Some sound like they are polished so cleanly that they could be in a synthwave album. Others are so raw and harsh that its harder to listen to than any of the earliest entries in the genre. Both seem entirely intentional.

I find myself enjoying the rawer tracks a bit more than the polished ones. No matter the track though I find myself drawn to the intentional simplicity and heavy emphasis on nostalgic melodies. The voice samples in particular are well placed and give the album some cohesiveness. I quite enjoy their inclusion, even if they up the cheese factor by an order of magnitude.

Imagination Never Fails is not going to be on any of my best of lists, however it still has its place. This is the type of album you bust out when you want to listen to something that reminds you of the early 90's dungeon crawlers. I for one certainly have those days, and as such this record will return to my turntable in due time.