5 – “In The City” – Caveman
It seems like each year there is one synth-heavy song that I can listen to repeatedly and just get lost within its layers. Here is this year’s example.
At first listen, this would seem to be a rather cold, serious song. Each note sounds carefully planned. The transitions are perfect. The ratio of dense synths to delicate yet distorted guitar feels as though it was arrived at through careful mathematical study. The drums are big enough to propel the song forward, but not so big that they dominate. This is a professional song, not one arrived at through reckless experimentation.
But this is far from a lifeless, sterile song. The vocals balance the musical mix wonderfully. As the synthesizers build in the last third of the song, making the song’s base even firmer, the guitars gain life and soar, tugging in hopes of escape.
It is spooky and lush and utterly gorgeous.