Polyphonic Exophilia – Deep Diver
Polyphonic Exophilia – Deep Diver – Album Review
It’s always a good sign when I push play and my wife starts yelling ‘hell yeah’ from her office next to mine. If she can get behind something, believe me when I tell ya, the masses out there are sure to love it too. Wonderful woman, but she’s highly opinionated when it comes to music – even more than I am.
Anyhow. She’s right to feel the way she does in this instance (and to be fair, most) – when I pushed play on Deep Diver by Polyphonic Exophilia, and “The Deep Dive” began, it was a genuine moment of ‘oh shit – these guys are here to PLAY this time around!’ Don’t get me wrong, the PPXP collective generally brings something stellar to the table each time we hear something new from them, but the level of focus you can audibly hear in a track like “The Deep Dive” straight off the drop will tell your ears that this crew is not messing around & that they’re ready to get down to business with their second official studio album. Wonderful to hear the band come at their opening track with such noticeable vigor! From the brilliance of the keys, to the bounce of the bass lines, to the killer ideas on the guitar, to the tightness of the drums, to the all-out essential contributions they’re getting from the saxophone on this first impression of Deep Diver, PPXP sounds like they’re ready to make mincemeat outta this nine-song set-list and bring the FUNK to ya! These dudes and their never-ending list of guest stars tend to release new music around the clock all year long, so if a track like “The Deep Dive” represents the caliber of tunes that they’ve been holding onto in secret as they got their new album ready, we’re all in great shape for a tremendous ride through a set of cosmic Jazz/Funk combinations designed to be turned UP. “Is that a saxophone player,” my wife asks from the room next door. “It’s THE saxophone player,” I say in response. “He sounds incredible,” she says. How could I not completely agree? She’s a smart lady.
So look…from what I’ve been discovered, there’s a story in the background that’s guiding this entire record along…but we’ll get to more about that further on down the road. According to the PPXP direct, “Deep Diver tells a story about a deep space mission that goes terribly wrong and where everyone dies, but along the way everyone learns something important about life and existence.” And for sure, I can support that. Concept albums always are what they are – and usually that means meaning a whole lot more to the people that create them than they do to the folks that listen – as in, conceptually, most of the time listeners have no real clue they’re even listening to a concept record. On the bright side of this particular scenario, it makes a little more sense that PPXP has to spell things out for us given they’re an instrumental crew – which in comparison to every artist/band that uses words and STILL has to tell us what their concept album is all about, seems a bit more justified in a case like Deep Diver. Plus, just because eventually everyone is gonna die doesn’t mean we can’t have a little FUN along the way, right? Isn’t that what “20 Watt Cloud Of Energy” is really all about at the heart of it all? Sounds like this mission has kicked into gear, and right now, traveling throughout the cosmos is a pretty damn good time. Especially with those bass lines kickin’ out the jams, am I right? The stunning level of interaction that Polyphonic Exophilia has between their instruments is honestly pretty mind-blowing when it comes right down to it…they sound more united, unified, and focused than they might have ever sounded before, or at the very least, they’re all at their collective peak-Polyphonic right now. In any event, I suppose whether you’re traveling throughout space, or stuck here on Earth, we’re *SPOILER ALERT* all gonna die at some point in the story, aren’t we? We may as well all dance to our inevitable impending doom, turn up “20 Watt Cloud Of Energy” and go out with a smile if you ask me! I suspect at this point in the concept of their story, the endless potential of possibility still seems ahead of them – much like it does for any of us as we start our journeys through life, long before we realize the brutal extent of our limitations, the crushing weight of society’s rules and our stifling self-consciousness. Love the finale of “20 Watt Cloud Energy” – great ride all the way through, with the best stuff at the end.
“Into The Unknown” sounds a bit closer to what you might expect a journey through space might be like – I think? Honestly, I have no real clue or frame of reference; I’m a pretty earthbound cat myself. The majority of my experience with space all comes from a fairly horrific selection of Sci-Fi movies, where basically everyone dies at the end of those stories as well, but it usually sounds a whole lot different with all the screaming & such goin’ on. Even at their calmest moments, they don’t sound as blissfully serene and chilled out as a track like “Into The Unknown” does, and now I’m kinda wishing they did, you know? Space travelers should be able to at least enjoy their time up there for a little while before some Xenomorph comes on by to bite their face or jump outta their stomach, in my opinion. Heck, if you had “Into The Unknown” on as your soundtrack as an astronaut, you might even be able to convince yourself that everything’s gonna be OK in the end! Maybe if they had a song like “Into The Unknown” on, there wouldn’t be any stomach jumping to begin with! Maybe everything would just be chill, and soundtracks like this could be the catalyst for interspecies mingling, know what I mean? We all need those gateways into cosmic diplomacy…it doesn’t just happen on its own. Throw on a little PPXP, grab your favorite alien, and see if you can’t push past your differences to work out some kind of galactic governance after all. Admittedly, “Into The Unknown” is one of the more low-key cuts on Deep Diver, at least on the surface due to its remarkable level of cosmically chilled-out sound – but if you’re taking a close listen to it, you’ll find Polyphonic Exophilia remains as busy as always underneath all that. Excellent work on the keyboards in this cut, that’s probably the standout element to me, but everything sounds great overall.
You get the sense of wonder that comes along with this exploratory adventure when you get your “First Glimpse Of LP-890-9C.” I don’t know a ton about space exploration and such, but I’m thinking there’s a solid chance that “LP-890-9C” is much more likely to be a planet than the license plate of the spaceship ahead of them waiting for their turn to go at the cosmic intersection. But I could be wrong! Heck, I like to think I am quite often, not by choice mind you, but simply by those brutal limitations of being human I was referring to earlier on. Anyhow. Look…I’ll put it to you this way – much of listening to a record like this is very much like listening to one giant experience from start to finish, so in truth, it does seem to tell its own story, much like they intended it to. When it comes to having meandering tracks like “Into The Unknown” and “First Glimpse Of LP-890-9C” featured back-to-back, theoretically, there’s a little bit of risk in that given that they’re both pretty laidback & chilled-out tunes appearing side by side, which may prove to be a bit of a lengthy stretch if you’re just listening casually. However, if you’re really into this album as a fan, chances are you’ll find you really appreciate what these songs represent even more in the tale of their journey overall – make sense? Like, to put it in a more tangible context for ya…if you took a trip to a place you’re familiar with (you know, here on boring ol’ Earth), and you knew there was a long span of flat land that was more meditative & peaceful as opposed to a bunch of flashing lights and endless billboards trying to grab your attention – that’s what these two songs are like. They’re calming, fairly soothing, tremendously fluid, enchanting & relaxing as well…all filled with very welcome sounds to the ears, and in my opinion, an excellent part of the larger journey you experience in listening to this album. “First Glimpse Of LP-890-9C” is like that moment when you’re taking a tour, and the tour bus pulls over for a moment so that you can all take your photographs and really let the scenery sink in and work its magic on ya. You feel like you’re witnessing a moment of true discovery as you listen to this.
No lies detected – “Style Is The Answer To Everything.” PPXP continues the chilled-out middle section of their second album without compromise, in a large departure from the energy that the album started out with. Like I was tellin’ ya earlier, there’s going to be some risk in that recipe – Polyphonic Exophilia might have dialed this back a bit further than they’ve realized, or that the palettes of everyday listeners tend to consume. Even I felt myself getting a little restless right around this point, even while I was still enjoying everything I heard and never felt like their commitment to performance dropped in quality at all – both things can be true at the same time and occur simultaneously. I’d reckon it’s one of those more mood-dependent types of listening – sometimes you’re going to listen to a set of three slower tracks on an album, or an album that remains completely in that gear from start to finish – and it’ll fully hit the spot for ya. Other times, you’ll encounter a record like Deep Diver and get that initial hit of sonic energy that might have you craving more, and you could potentially struggle a bit as the mid-section of the record shifts into its much more laidback vibes. I’ve probably heard it both ways myself personally at this point after spinning my way through Deep Diver this past week or so. I found myself wanting a bit more of a spark at points when you get to tracks three to five, but at the same time, I couldn’t help but appreciate the band’s continuous commitment to excellence when it comes to the quality of the performances they’re putting in. “Style Is The Answer To Everything” is no exception to the rule in that regard – their musicianship remains as fantastic as ever, and hopefully that’s enough for the listeners.
What I think will be a really cool part of this experience for the PPXP fans out there, will be found by purchasing the vinyl record for Deep Diver. No, I’m not about to try and sell you something – that’s not me – BUT…I will advocate on behalf of picking up a copy, because they’ve designed it in such a way that YOU will get a whole lot more out of this adventure if you do. They’ve enlisted their longtime artistic cohort Håkon Holm Olsen for the artwork again, which of course is awesome…but I think the best move they’ve made this time around was in getting Heather Henderson to write a short story you can read along with album as you listen to it. That’s where you get to learn much more about this whole cosmic adventure and visibly see how art inspires art – and you know we love that here. Henderson’s story will take you deep into the heart of this journey by Voyager 4 as it travels under the command of Captain Tessa Calder, aka Nova. It’s a neat way to listen to a record, I ain’t gonna lie. And of course, you’ve always got your options…you can listen to it straight-up and form your own adventure based on what you hear and your own imagination, or you’ve got one readily supplied to you that comes along with the vinyl release – in my opinion, you win either way. It’s kinda nice to have something additional to keep your mind engaged as you float along through the mid-section of Deep Diver though, and I think it’ll be a strong aspect that keeps people interested in a multi-dimensional way as they listen. Things start to pick up a bit on their own with “126° Passage” eventually, though it continues to remain in that fairly chilled vein as it begins. Lots of impressive stuff to listen to as it develops though – brilliant use of harmonics in the melody, stunning bass lines, inspired saxophone work, and creative atmospheric elements added in along the way as well. They’ve also got one of several impressive appearances from Churrogreen in the mix here too, who lends his time & talents to the bass & sitar on this record. Plus, Polyphonic Exophilia busts out the flute on this cut, which also supplies another stellar texture and tone to their music on this album. All-in-all, “126° Passage” seems to get more interesting, engaging & intricate as it plays on, and much to its credit, I think it begins to restore a missing element of the energy this album was searching for. As a result, “126° Passage” rights the ship, and puts Deep Diver back on course for a successful mission…or…I suppose that’s how it seems sound-wise…the storyline will go on to tell ya something else – maybe. Henderson has written an exceptional ending to the accompanying story to Deep Diver that I guess could be interpreted in a couple of ways, but the way I took it, implied a positively inspired finale.
“Hanami & Momijigari.” Bless you! I mean…who? “Hanami & Momijigari” sounds like the people that just invented your favorite videogame. Heck, the song itself sounds like it could be part of the soundtrack too! T’ain’t a bad tune really…it’s got a bit more of a curious vibe to it that blends melody into its mix seamlessly, and flashes a lot of the band’s natural ingenuity from beginning to end. They really tap into some fantastic pocket grooves in this particular track, which are mainly kept a little below the surface, but pair well with the keys & instrumental uniqueness you’ll find roaming around above it all. It’s a bit livelier of a tune, and it has that inspired spark I was looking for – “Hanami & Momijigari” is cool with me…I’d probably go as far as to say it’s one of the better cuts to be found on the record, in my opinion. Ultimately, I think you’ve gotta hand it to Polyphonic Exophilia when it comes to the art of their consistency…from the moment we’ve started listening, they’ve both somewhat managed to do a very similar thing to what they’ve always done, yet always seemed to find impressive ways to do it differently. I don’t know how you go about accomplishing something like that, but they’ve found a way to do it the right way…so as a fan, you get what you’re looking for from them, while also discovering a new dimension or two to their sound overall. “Hanami & Momijigari” nearly plays like something you’d expect to find in Tortoise, which I certainly appreciate…they’re actually quite comparable bands when it comes to the level of creativity and proficiency that they play with, especially in the instrumental realm.
While it’s fair to say the colorfully upbeat vibes of the way this album starts get overshadowed by a more eclectic variety of sound & somewhat moodier disposition as it plays on, I think a lot of people out there listening will appreciate the vibrancy of a track like “I Am, Essentially Through Others” and what it contributes to the energy in this lineup of songs. I’d definitely consider this track to be one of the most accessible to all on the record, and one of the most complete cuts on Deep Diver too if I’m being real with ya. Sometimes you can really hear the inspiration of the moment take hold, and I’d say that’s the case when it comes to “I Am, Essentially Through Others” – it’s the kind of track that, when you start playing it, you can feel the authenticity and interest of Polyphonic Exophilia beaming back at ya through your speakers. To be truthful, I probably could have taken a few more tracks like “I Am, Essentially Through Others” and “The Deep Dive” at the start, but sometimes we have to take what we can get as well. I’m grateful for the undeniable spark tracks like these bring to Deep Diver, and I’d imagine that both “I Am, Essentially Through Others” and “The Deep Dive” are quite likely to be lauded universally as two cuts from the album that can’t possibly be missed out on. They’re every bit as fun to listen to as they are skillful…you can really hear PPXP come alive for moments like these, and that JOY they all experience together in making music – aka the reason they play together to begin with – is fully present and accounted for in moments like these. I’m certainly not saying every song out there has gotta be upbeat or even energetic – lots of great songs are neither of these things – but I am saying that the full-color brilliance of Polyphonic Exophilia and the appeal of their sound seems to translate best when they have a bit of noticeable pep in their step. I felt like “I Am, Essentially Through Others” was a complete win for the band, and would likely make for a great candidate as a single to be the gateway into Deep Diver as well. Listeners will definitely respond to the way this track moves and grooves along, 100%.
Personally, I felt like they tapped into something truly special at the end of this album with “Staring At The Sun” for its finale. You can feel the sensational smoothness of this song straight off the drop, and the additional sitar added in from their guest-star Churrogreen was a spectacular addition to this last track. Everything fits in perfectly here and finds the place where it belongs – there are real significant highlights for the saxophone on “Staring At The Sun,” and the continued tightness of the drums should be praised as well. Throughout the course of this whole album, the drums have been as reliable as ever and supplied the backbone in the material that has provided the opportunity for every other instrument to roam and wander, knowing they can always find their way back home. The same probably can’t be said for the crew of Voyager 4…but you’ll have to get yourself a copy of the vinyl to learn about all the details of their collective fate. As far as Polyphonic Exophilia is concerned, they’ve done their job – they have played every inch of this record with heart, passion & commitment – and that’s really all you can ever do. The court of public opinion is always gonna do what it does and feel how it feels – no different than me really…I’m never gonna be the guy to claim I’ve got everything completely correct, or that you should even feel how I feel about any given song or record – we all like what we like and love what we love. For me, Deep Diver starts out really strong and highly engaging, transfers into a more spaciously-inclined vibe and atmospherically based middle, and then goes on a strong winning streak with the very last three tracks on the album – I appreciate it all, even if each of these defined parts might appeal to a different mood more than others. “Staring At The Sun” is freakin’ stellar…a solid summation to this whole experience that the album wouldn’t have felt complete without – and a great track to go out on.
Find out more about Polyphonic Exophilia from the official pages below!
Main Website: https://ppxp.no
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ppxpinsta
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7dU9fQzUsugFDChgmPlIs1
Pre-save & Pre-order their new album Deep Diver at:
Tiger Records: https://tigernet.no/labels/985894-ppxp-records
Multi-link: https://ffm.to/deepriver
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