-DS Reviews-

The Shakespearean Frog – Toilet Soap is Perfectly Pure [UK, Dungeon Synth] (2020)

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Self Released | 6-23-20

I would like toi note that I am baffled by these releases since there are a lot of forces that are at odds with each other. I truly believe that some of the magic with The Shakespearean Frog is its surreal ambiance of idiosyncratic charm. From the obsession with soap, to the melodious sounds of comfy synth, to the tendency to go into a jaunty rhythm, The Shakespearean Frog is less a dungeon synth artist and more a Idyllic Victorian Countryside Synth artist but that later makes little sense. What does make sense is the third release from this melodic prankster is even more fascinating when taken into account their whole existence in this world.

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Medhelan – Nocturnal Wanderings [Italy, Dungeon Synth] (2020)

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Lighten Up Sounds | 7-11-20

Medhelan was one of my first DS cassettes and Lighten /up Sounds was one of my first tape labels that I began acquiring dungeon synth material. the release and promotion for Nocturnal Wanderings, the first proper release since 2016, marked a special occasion for me to reminisce about a time when I first heard the magical musings of dungeon synth. While there is only one long preview track available, the scope of nature ambient and melodic dungeon synth stretches like a wooded canopy across a glowing night sky. This is dungeon synth from an old wizard who has once again dedicated to open their spellbook for us.

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Fogweaver / Erreth-Akbe – The Immanent Grove [US, Dungeon Synth] (2020)

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Self Released | 6-23-20

It was through Faberglade Records that I first heard Erreth-Akbe and their release If Not a Happy Ending, a True Joy. It was also through Faberglade records I saw Fogweaver’s latest release Spellwind was being included in the bundle i missed out on. It was today I saw the two artist collaborating on a split that might not excite the majority of the population but for some of us who have been following these small labels, it is a welcome surprise. Both artists bring a sense of magic and melody to a split that showcases each side as a competent composer of wonder. The Bandcamp has dedications to each other as if this meeting was the congregation of two wizards sharing spells in the forest. Maybe it was. For now we are left with a split that is instantly accessible for both veterans to small labels and new people who just wandered into this grove by happenstance.

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Nuovaerav – Arcadia [Italy, Dungeon Synth] (2020)

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Faberglade Records | 6-21-20

Imagine my complete anguish when I learned that the Faberglade Summer Tape Batch was sold out in a day. This is okay since more people seem to be clued into this mystical series of releases from a very wonderful label. Additionally, the Summer batch came with Fogweaver’s Spellwind which is a fantastic release. Nuovaerav is a new artist for me but just from the few opening tracks, it already fits within the comforting world of Faberglade and while missing this series purchase by a day, I shall try again for the fall.

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Zundmarazkhulshilkîn – Izremabrusây ra Shâkalmamakhhul [UK, Dungeon Synth] (2020)

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Self Released | 6-17-20

“Izremabrusây ra Shâkalmamakhhul translates from the dwarvish as Flotsam and Jetsam, the title of the ninth chapter in the Two Towers. It also describes the manner of tracks that feature on this album. Although I have fit them into a narrative most started life as one-offs, pieces that drifted here from elsewhere, either tracks for compilations, tunes I worked on under a previous project or works that have sat, semi-completed on my hard drive waiting to find a home.”

SO I am guessing that this is a compilation of sorts from an artist I have never heard of before today. Outside of a successful 2018 debut, Zundmarazkhulshilkîn has been drifting in and out of collaboration and split projects before resting on Izremabrusây ra Shâkalmamakhhul which by the description makes it seem ancillary rather than what it really is — magical hypnosis. Disguised as raw bedroom DIY, Zundmarazkhulshilkîn presents tender and melodious synth that despite their preamble feel complete as soundtracks to a fantasy land I desperate want to be apart of.

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Vale Minstrel – Warden of the Vale [US, Dungeon Synth] (2020)

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Self Released | 6-18-20

I do not want to be critical but I feel the only thing I dislike about this release is the logo as it does not truly capture the magic which floats around this release like magical pollen. Vale Minstrel has tagged this release with “JRPG” among other things. The more I think about it the more I am inclined to believe this music would be perfect for a cozy new gen RPG set in some distant land. Warden of the Vales full dedication to fantasy themes is evident with music that is both immersive and competent.

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Longmoan – Longmoan [Canada, Dungeon Synth] (2020)

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Self Released | 6-16-20

“$2 from every cassette sold will go to the NAACP legal defense fund.”

I enjoy conscientious pledges like this even when its from a sub niche tape release in an already obscured genre. Welcome Longmoan, a 16 bit themed DS release that is styled after a Sega game that never existed. CRPG music and video game worship is something that is not talked about a lot in the DS community though I secretly feel everyone is slightly into it. Longmoan welcomes the listener into a world of bright dark blues and top down dungeon crawling that is littered with deadly skeletons and ghouls. This is Saturday afternoons spent in the living room trying to beat the level and strategy guides opened up on the carpet.

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Amn – Lands of Intrigue [UK, Electronic / Dungeon Synth] (2020)

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Mystic Timbre | 9-2-20

This release once against comes from Mystic Timbre, a place that I recently stumbled on and have not yet left. This label has been a boon for not only traditional dungeon synth but for progressive and left field electronic. The best is when the two combine and Amn’s Land of Intrigue is a perfect marriage between the classic sounds of dungeon synth and the cosmic scrying of Kosmische Music. Though not everything will be harmonious or even comforting, the far out visions generated by this release are enough to allow one to see into the future.

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Enbarr – Sage [Algeria, Dungeon Synth] (2020)

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Self Released | 6-20-20

Sometimes a cover says it all. Having paged through many dungeon synth and other self released records, if one has a mastery of a cover, it usually is an good indication of the music that would follow after. This is not always the case but it at least gives me hope that the music will match what was visually promised. Hailing from Algeria (!), comes Enbarr who on the third release this year, presents a conceptual record devoted to the imagery of Crystal Towers. The music is a more of old school dungeon synth which sketches a moat around the hazy image of a spire veiled in fog. Even outside of this probably being the first African DS release I have personally encountered, I am just struck about the design and the music which seems to be as promising as the front cover.

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Titan – I [US, Dungeon Synth] (2020)

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Dungeon Deep Records | 6-10-20

“Titan brings us a unique brand of medieval synth music driven by a style reminiscent of old school PS1 style video game soundtrack.” I am currently having a fight with someone whether or not this music is PS1 or PS2 era. This seems to be the most important thing to deal with right now. Dungeon Deep Records has continued to be a force in the DS world bringing new and old ambient to a market that is ravenous for this sound. Titan’s 2019 release made a mild noise upon its release but now with the tape release, which I hopefully can still get, the world of PS1 or PS2 era soundtracks come into full force and with sharp polygons.

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