Form and Chaos – Gateways

Share this on Facebook | Share this on Twitter

Everything in the universe exists in the balance between form and chaos. All that’s created inevitably meets its entropic demise. Everything that we know and love and cherish exists in this very precarious balance and Jeremy sees music and art as a tribute to our success at navigating this balance. Every song or work of art manifest into our 3D reality and interacts with other people as if it were a living entity. Music makes us feel a certain way and FORM AND CHAOS is Jeremy’s way of reaching out to the others.

“Gateways” contains eleven tracks. It opens with a jaunty rhythm, some choppy guitars and audible bass work. Some keys mix in every now and again, but no vocals. “Deaf to the Pistol” is another shorter song, with more fantastic bass work. The mood is a little less jovial here. It continues like this though the song. The title track is on the melancholy side of things. The guitar isn’t used as prominently until the mid-way mark, when a heavier riff enters. Then it drops back to the opening sound, with light lead work.

“In Situ” begins with light guitar and drum work, with sad tones. It picks up just a bit with the addition of another guitar, and it almost sounds like Post-Rock to me. “In a Tangle, we Rise to the End” is another grey, hazy track without much instrumentation. Some keys come into play here but they don’t last long. Some heavy drumming comes in towards the end. “Swim. There are no Lights in Sight” has a little more pep out of the gates. It’s still slow and despondent, but the guitars build a nice little rhythm. “For Everything, there is a Price” features perhaps some more hopeful tones and nice little melody. Keys mix in and the sound is tense from the guitar work. Still, it breathes nicely as well.

“The Long Days and Nights of Higher Timing” is the longest song on the album, coming in at just under five minutes in length. Those choppy guitars mix with keys to create a psychedelic sound. Some harmonies mix in with the guitars. “Replaces the Pieces” also has a psychedelic sound to it…perhaps this is a central theme on the album. It reminds me a bit of THE CURE, sans vocals of course. “Repairing the Damage” has a slower groove, with a bluesy sound. The guitar work gently weeps, while the bass thuds underneath. Some smooth keys add a depressing quality to the song.

“The Call to Rest” closes the album. There is a nice sweetness to this song. It’s an aptly chosen closer. Overall, I found the album just a bit on the odd side. With no vocals, and light instrumentation, I’m unsure what genre to call this. The songs are mostly short in length, and there isn’t much sonority to talk about. I enjoyed the sad and melancholy tones, but just wish the tracks were a bit thicker. I also wonder why they would advertise a vocalist when the entire album was instrumental.

Songwriting: 5
Musicianship: 5
Memorability: 3
Production: 7