Review Summary: dream as if you'll live forever
As I child, I would often argue at my parents that wind was the "loudest thing". Louder than my obnoxiously verbal sibling, louder than that crazy bass machine in the back of dad's car. I didn't live somewhere particularly windy growing up; the simple fact that flowing air could warp entire forests was more than enough justification for me. "Can shouting bend trees？", I would ask, and even though I was partially aware of the silliness of my rhetoric, there was still a deep fascination with the way such a soft entity could manipulate its surroundings for miles on end. I'd always wanted to protrude such brilliance, carve up a legacy of sorts that would echo on long after the dust returns to dust from the comfort of the shadows. Be something, and remain unseen. Wallow in isolation and dream.
The gale that introduces lari's whisp-like memoir rekindled my sense of wonder. Whether or not this is a long-lasting effect is besides the point;
i am dead. is beautifully vague. "are you here？" opens with the sounds of wind and thunder. Things chime. Timbres oscillate and cascade. While nothing momentous happens in this song (or the rest of the EP by extension), I couldn't help getting utterly immersed into the sounds. Furthermore, lari knows that nothing complex or intricate needs to happen.
i am dead. is a fairly straightforward amalgamation of excessive reverb, basic sampling, and a touch of unintelligible singing here and there. This allows all focus to be directed on the ebb and flow of each track. Songs don't build as much as they rotate; crescendos effortlessly devolve into near-silence only to slowly rise again. This sincere and meek showcase of tug-of-war is noticeable enough to keep every song captivating but is simultaneously mild enough that I never had the expectation of an explosive release. The only real peak to be found here lies within the central track, "creatures". In a way, the song acts as a dividing point, with every track prior building towards it, and every track after dissolving into the wind. Reveries of weightlessness permeate every fleeting moment of
i am dead., and even when they reach their pinnacle, there is no disconnect from the dream state.
Being struck by a reverb-induced stupor is no uncommon situation in a world saturated by color and nostalgic emotion. Yet, even through the desperate title and somewhat disheartening undertones,
i am dead. doesn't feel forced into being. It doesn't feel like the result of chronic heartsore, nor does it try to emulate abundant ecstasy. Much like the wind, this EP revels in peaceful transience. Even so, the weight of effect it has pressed upon me is more than noticeable. The extent of which it has affected me remains blurred by maudlin recollection, but maybe that is just enough for me. The EP's final moments hold me tight within the innocent fantasy. I am dreaming. I am the wind. I am dead. And that's ok.
