Dispirited Spirits
The Redshift Blues


4.3
superb

Review

by Mitch Worden EMERITUS
April 5th, 2023 | 47 replies


Release Date: 03/10/2023 | Tracklist

Review Summary: Coloring in the empty spaces.

Regardless of how often the phenomenon has been portrayed, broken hearts remain a powerful motivator. Famous tunes haven’t dissuaded the love-hurt among us from turning to art to express their pain—something drawn from committing everything to another living soul, only for it to unfortunately end. Media has consistently demonstrated the violence of these separations—sudden shifts, acts of betrayal, emotional break-ups—but what of the ‘slow drift’? What if, instead of reaching a conclusion via perfectly understood faults, a relationship gently frays, almost imperceptible in the undoing of its threads? On occasion, those involved in this dynamic may not detect why it is happening, but it can certainly be felt; a detachment grows daily, gradually putting pressure onto any connecting ties, until a day comes where a partner has morphed into a stranger, and that same stranger knows not why they’re in the relationship themselves. The tension mounts. The threads snap. And at a far enough distance, when those faint clues at decaying attraction and amassed apathy begin to depict the reasons like a warped puzzle, the sense of loss is palpable.

Indigo Dias has a way of cloaking this lurking ache. The mastermind behind Dispirited Spirits immerses their tunes in an epic approach that sports elegant string instruments, delicate guitars, a robust and occasionally funky bass, glittering keys, and charismatic woodwinds. An unwieldy combo if left uncontained, yet Dias is capable of reining in each contributing factor throughout sophomore effort The Redshift Blues. Nothing in particular attains prominence, with a polished production managing to balance every included element from jazzy noodling to a wide variety of math-tinged riffs. Amidst the ethereal ambiance, Dias’ pain disappears—the graceful string undulations and melodic indie rock sensibilities provide a soothing environment that thrives off of restraint, granting arrangements ample space to expand upon their peaceful textures. Yet all too easily can that calm be pierced through should the shiny veneer be peeled back, broken by climactic swells where compositions swing the weight of their instrumental might or severed by the signing performance—an exceptional range of melancholic baritone notes, falsetto harmonies, and confident tenor belting. The Redshift Blues uses this archetypal pop technique—darkness dressed in the clothes of a carefree, catchy venture—as its central dichotomy, ebbing between twinkling guitars, shimmering synth soundscapes, and post-rock explosions that either expose or disguise lyrical narratives.

That guiding dynamic offers the record an impressive level of depth. On a macro level, the rollercoaster formed by the album’s rising and falling of energy from track-to-track adds wonderful diversity, simultaneously crafting a broader journey reinforced by lyrical codas. An epic a la “Saturnine Saturn Dreams,” whose progression hinges upon patient buildups, is complemented by the vibrant pop-punk vibe of “Methanol Fire”--a song that succeeds off of a midwest-emo-esque presentation and beautifully anthemic chorus. That momentum transitions into the 10-minute closer “Redshift Blues,” which unfurls from acoustics and chimes before a bombastic orchestral finale sweeps the listener away. On a micro level, Dias’ individual arrangements are consistently busy, though not in a manner that relies too much on spectacle alone; their careful layering is what intrigues. “Ships Sailing Space'' gives the impression of simplicity, yet underneath the melodic arpeggios are graceful string swells, subtle bass motions, and occasional woodwind features, all of which combine to give the song an instantly recognizable personality. This same depth is replicated on the following “Nine Clouds,” but a glittering synth line takes the leading role, conveying an entirely different aesthetic that still fits comfortably under Dias’ wide umbrella of genre influences. Each movement and instrument choice comes across as purposeful instead of superfluous— the aforementioned even mix plays no favorites or spotlights any section for too long.

Though absent of a concrete story, the beating heart of Dias’ latest work is that--well, that beating heart is actually in tatters; a relationship has been terminated, and with that severance came regret, longing—all that wonderful stuff that prods at wounds and targets self-worth. It’s reinforced by prose that dances around astral metaphors, tying the act of slowly losing love to the stars as they drift in and out of view. There’s a wistfulness inherent to this style that pairs wonderfully with the record’s atmosphere:

“In parted latitudes the starlight's hindered by
A moratorium for what we left behind
I'll be my enemy and you'll part out of sight
This forlorn universe sings redshift blues tonight.”

This excerpt introduces the album proper, and it effectively sets the stage for what’s to come; Dias uses cosmic wordplay to amplify the ambiance, punctuating the soft timbres abundant in the mix to illustrate a calm, albeit forlorn sense of detachment. They’re potent enough to tug on heartstrings (“Former living thing I want to / Form a leaving plan from you / From everliving foregone shades of blue) while maintaining a somewhat subdued presence. IIt sets the stage for choice moments when, as the music reaches a climactic moment, Dias cuts through the ethereal aura and dismisses any hint of reservation:

“For no pill will bring you back again
And we hurt ourselves for far too long
Cut this withered, earnest ***ing hand
And I'll get through this abandoned
My dear.”

It’s emblematic of the disc’s proclivity to juggle authenticity with a shoegaze-like veil, much in the same manner as contemporaries a la Parannoul. Indigo Dias has their own way of cloaking a lurking ache, yet all the same, it’s staring right at the audience: a ‘redshift,’ defined in physics, is when a light’s appearance is altered to an observer as it moves further away, thereby causing a color to move from the blue spectrum to the red. Over distance, the light changes, shifts, becomes something new--like staring at a stranger in an apartment, not knowing how they got there, and the stranger being equally unaware. At a far enough distance, when those faint clues at decaying attraction and amassed apathy coagulate, the sense of loss is palpable.

When “Redshift Blues” recites the opening lines of “Ships Sailing Space,” the record’s journey feels complete; the audience has entered into Dias’ pain, traversed through the dynamic landscapes that act as its camouflage, and reached a point where the resignation of a love drifted away is realized. How it is illustrated in such an epic yet simultaneously understated way is incredible to behold; there’s a grand expanse of vibrant structures to explore, yet their delicately somber aesthetic simultaneously purveys a sense of calm. There’s a comfort to find inside The Redshift Blues as it clings to the past while ensnared by a quiet desperation to run from it--a poignant portrait of special memories graying into long-lost days. Heartbreak may be a conventional inspiration, but its relatability can still lead to powerful works of art.




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user ratings (76)
3.8
excellent


Comments:Add a Comment 
MarsKid
Emeritus
April 5th 2023


21035 Comments

Album Rating: 4.3

Glad I stuck with this, it ended up growing on me over time. Very well-constructed and emotionally resonant release.



Bandcamp link here: https://dispiritedspirits.bandcamp.com/album/the-redshift-blues



Let me know what y'all think!

Slex
April 5th 2023


17255 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Really great review

Digging: Tyler, the Creator - Chromakopia

SlothcoreSam
April 5th 2023


6416 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Yeah this is a good one, somewhere between a 4 and a 4.5.



Also we need a been genre tag "Space Emo"

Digging: Floral Tattoo - The Circus Egotistica; or, How I Spent Most of my

MarsKid
Emeritus
April 5th 2023


21035 Comments

Album Rating: 4.3

Thanks for stopping by pals



Space Emo [2] that tracks for this one I suppose!

YoYoMancuso
Staff Reviewer
April 5th 2023


19316 Comments

Album Rating: 3.7

this is pretty good, I especially love the vocals. The opener and Bring Down The Sky are my favs

MarsKid
Emeritus
April 5th 2023


21035 Comments

Album Rating: 4.3

The chorus of "Methanol Fire" lives rent-free in my head at the moment personally.

tyman128
Staff Reviewer
April 6th 2023


4608 Comments

Album Rating: 4.4

Yeah this is amazing

SteakByrnes
April 6th 2023


30382 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

More like The Blueshift Reds! Jamming now, righteous review brother man

Snake.
April 6th 2023


25376 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

dig their music but imo fragments is better than this

MarsKid
Emeritus
April 6th 2023


21035 Comments

Album Rating: 4.3

Thanks for stopping by friends < 3



I should revisit the debut, remember enjoying it and was pleasantly surprised to hear this follow-up.

SteakByrnes
April 6th 2023


30382 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Yea this is great, I really dig the vocals. Kinda reminds me of Anthology by Colour in places

Purpl3Spartan
April 6th 2023


8992 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Might check nice rev

Digging: Tenue - Arcos, b??vedas, p??rticos

smaugman
April 6th 2023


5498 Comments


This sounds a lot like pool kids

hogan900
April 6th 2023


3332 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0

Ending of saturnine so so good

MarsKid
Emeritus
April 6th 2023


21035 Comments

Album Rating: 4.3

Woah, that is a BIG 5 from the man the myth the hogan.

hogan900
April 6th 2023


3332 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0

Probs a 4.5 but def want this kid to get some COVERAGE. I was writing something up for this but goated review.

MarsKid
Emeritus
April 7th 2023


21035 Comments

Album Rating: 4.3

Thank you so much! I'm glad you liked it. And good to see ya, feel like I haven't caught you around these parts in a hot minute.

Manatea
Staff Reviewer
April 7th 2023


2072 Comments


Awesome review man! I’m really enjoying this so far.

hogan900
April 7th 2023


3332 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0

@marskid busy with work and my own writing so I've been just lurking. Still read a lot of stuff on this site here and then but yea man been hard. Glad to see you still writing bro!

percyforward
April 7th 2023


137 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

saturn goes crazy with the buildups



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