Review Summary: Cicada shows why appreciation for Mother Nature is one of the most fail-safe inspirations of art.
As stated on the band’s Bandcamp, this is the second straight album from Cicada that’s based on a hiking expedition, and another of many of the band’s projects based on geographical or biological impressionism. Since this is a classical instrumental record, what’s key here is how the composer’s journey is translated through mostly technical aspects. The general sound of this reminds me of several indie game OST’s I’ve enjoyed in the past couple of years. An album that has the sound of a sheer complementary product could irk some classical fans, however, that aspect never took me out of the record’s immersion as more than just a passing thought. If anything, it complements its intended target, Mother Nature herself, quite well.
The compositions themselves are often very satisfying with a prudent collection of violins, pianos, and guitars. Cicada seems to constantly switch leads every couple of minutes or so to maintain a solid sonic diversity, even if I sometimes feel it’s a bit too breakneck. It’s especially on the longer tracks where the band can sometimes struggle to find a lasting balance between those points. I’d consider the centerpiece title track to handle this balance with the record’s most magnificence. It builds on the opening motif with more and more melodic elements until the key change in the second half provides a rich emotional punch. The quality difference between the comparatively bite-sized cuts brings about a different issue from the record’s compositional standpoint. “Foggy Rain” and “Raining on the Tent” are probably the only examples of these pieces that feel truly independent of the album’s larger highlights.
The record also goes with a sleek, rather clean production style. Although I have a longing for a more organic approach to the production that might have added more layers to the songwriter’s expedition concept, it is well-mixed and perfectly fine for how many elements of the composition need to be accounted for. For how well compositions of pieces like the title track are written by themselves, most of these album’s highlights can work under the vast majority of production approaches anyway.
It’s not the most proficient project out there, but I’ve dwelled on how natural observations can influence such gorgeous moments on the record. I suppose much of that simply comes from the band being talented at expressing the music of those sights and sounds into blips of captivating melodies and engrossing progressions. That's the promising core potential I've gotten out of this, and hopefully the flash of popularity will bring even more rejuvenated motivation. Give this a shot if you’re in the mood for something therapeutic even if it can be tempting to fade in the background.
