Trevor Wilson - Gross, Trevor

Trevor Wilson

Gross, Trevor
self-released; 2013

3.6 out of 5

By Jamie Funk

Trevor Wilson is a Los Angeles based musician who has composed music for video games and indie films. On his latest album Gross, Trevor this type of work seems inevitable as the songs are atmospheric and contain subtle emotional envelopes which uncover themselves as the songs progress. There are some percussive elements on these tracks but for the most part they rely on arpeggiated synths, clicks, crackles, synthetic strings and pads to communicate with the listener. There are seven tracks here and while far from groundbreaking they can be fun to listen to whether they are accompanied by a video game or an indie film. Some of the tracks remain a bit stagnant and never fully develop while other seems to hit all the right notes.

The first track entitled “Let’s Not Do That Again” starts with an electronically programmed bass that is eventually combined with pinging electronic percussion. The electronics divide and multiply like that of a cell as the track becomes more intricate. By the time the 2:30 minute mark rolls around we have a fully functional layered ambience that feels extremely chill and relaxing. It has a frosty feel like I was lying on a bed of white ice. “Akk” is simply a transitional track that introduces a couple of synthetic strings. “Grody” starts off sounding a bit like a hip-hop track and eventually feels a bit more like Autechre. The track is one of the most percussive on the EP  but felt like these elements were a bit too prelevant in the mix. The song “Do You Love Me Now?” is a pad-covered excursion that follows a harpsichord sounding synth. No percussion here. Instead the track sounds like warm bubble-layered sine waves. ”Nausea In Hindsight” revolves around a simple yet captivating piano melody. The song is the most contemplative and nostalgic of the bunch. The exquisitely named “ Well That Sucks” closes out the album. This track is twice as long as any of the other songs and comes in at almost nine minutes. It’s also probably the best song on the album. The song would work as two different songs as well. The songs stops about halfway through and we are introduced to silence for more than a minute before the rest of the song continues.

Wilson has some chops and delivers some solid songs. These songs often don't have enough substance to stand on their own but would work great if utilized in a video game or movie. Wilson has a long career ahead of him and is off to a good start.

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