Teen Daze
Themes for Dying Earth
(FLORA)
The latest from Canadian artist Teen Daze is just about the perfect record to put on, lay back in nature, and reflect on life and the world around you. Jamison Isaak (aka Teen Daze) wrote this poignant, pretty record in response to his inner and outer frustrations, especially his frustration with how humanity can’t help but destruct the natural world around him. In many ways, this is a well-timed record, when we can admire nature coming alive after the winter and appreciate its beauty (hey, even as a self-professed non-hippie, nature’s pretty great).
As expected from an artist with the name Teen Daze, Themes for Dying Earth certainly sounds quite hazy and dreamlike, and the ambient electronic indie pop on display is quite well done. The record refuses to cheapen its impact with too many hooks or memorable melodies, and it’s TFDE‘s ultimate downfall. While Teen Daze’s latest is a consistently engaging and enriching experience – and certainly one perfectly suited for quite contemplation of the world and our place in it – it goes by without much sticking. So why Isaak certainly succeeded in his goal of creating a wonderful bit of art, his latest work feels somewhat lacking, especially considering how good he is at writing ambient pop (see “Cycle” in particular).
