Jelliflow - Cosmic Waltz

​Jelliflow

Cosmic Waltz
self-released; 2016

3.7 out of 5

By Dom Eagle
​

Jelliflow is located in Austin, TX. He has worked for years as a session drummer, preparing to write his first feature-length score over the summer. His debut album Cosmic Waltz was written, recorded, mixed and mastered independently at his home in southwest Austin.
Cosmic Waltz most certainly catapults listeners into the soothing ethereal waters of the cosmos on “Terrestrial.” The soothing sounds of birds chirping and tweeting ground us, the listeners, before we are propelled into space. These naturalistic noises underpin a delicately-plucked acoustic melody as it flows seamlessly into brittle electric guitar chords. But the kick comes at the closing moments of the track, as it erupts into an unexpected sequence of brutal guitar riffs.

“Weightless” is a warming, piano-centric journey. Wisps of air swirl and encompass the occasional piano key and the delicate tones of Jelliflow’s first vocals on the album. It is a stunning piece of sonic wizardry. No listener would expect that seen minutes of a man and a piano could be so varied and so enthralling.

Whilst emotional throughout, the gentle atmosphere does break through into punctuated pop stylings around the center-mark of the track. As with the initial track, the closing section of the album breaks into distorted guitar and blends Jelliflow’s emotive, atmospheric tendencies with hardcore rock in a mannerism sure to be appreciated by fans of Soundgarden and Mastodon.

The beautiful piano arpeggios continue through “Orbit I” into “Blister.” This time Jelliflow adopts more of a dark, jazz-fueled approach, coupled with tentative vocals that tear into melodic growls at particular moments. The sudden leap to a twisted, brutal metal guitar riff came as no surprise to me, as the ominous nature of Jelliflow’s vocals suggested such a stylistic shift. A middle-ground between the two styles is achieved during the melodic piano-guitar chorus, but it is the surprising moment towards the end of “Blister” which had me bursting at the sides with laughter (in the best way possible), so listen carefully to that track.

Cosmic Waltz is a sonic adventure of emotional and aggressive twists and turns throughout. Jelliflow perfectly blends the most soothing and jarring corners of music into one chaotic, but cohesive album. Whilst these shifts may discourage listeners with specific tastes, I think this debut album is littered with musical gems adhering to every taste imaginable. I could talk for days about the intriguing intricacies of each and every track, but, unlike Cosmic Waltz, I am constrained by time and space. You will just have to listen for yourself.

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