“Devotion / Fever Dreams” is the latest artistic lo-fi downtempo album the flair of alt-pop and electronica by Aluron.
“Devotion / Fever Dreams” is a curated, 31 track album with a double LP-length of 96 minutes. This musical experience is highly recommended to listen in Hi-Fi – like on Tidal or Apple Music – for the best experience.
The real treat is Aluron and her trademark vocals and the ability of artistically merge genres. Some of the tunes go under the skin in an instant.
Let’s discover the songs and their different characteristics.
Track 1, Anima: begins the album as a broken beat experimental with cinematic alt-pop including a heavy handed synthwave glued into it; a brave decision not to start with the strongest song in the album.
Track 2, Matthew Frank: a song with Irish music characteristics in lo-fi including alt-pop elements; it portrays a certain mood well.
Track 3, Jelly Bloom: a cinematic pop with early new-wave sounds in a raw mix, the harmonies work well and the song balances between generic and artistic winning for the latter.
Track 4, Soup de Journey: is a mix of downtempo and synthwave with alt-pop elements and a path-seeking rhythm section; its strength is the vocals.
Track 5, Even In a Static Sky (I love you): an alt-pop downtempo song with Aluron’s unique vocals and harmonization with a pinch of synthwave – less likely for the mainstream lists.
Track 6, Mourning, Birds: a completely far out artistry with interesting vocalization; an experimental not necessarily to everyone’s ears.
Track 7, help me, Nataraja: a broken beat downtempo with new-wave sounds and experimentalist harmonies – an interesting take on the music of today.
Track 8, Resurgam: has dancefloor style with electronica from the ‘90s with Aluron’s trademark singing style – great for playlists and absolutely a danceable bit that could even work in live.
Track 9, Olga Zinger: is a contemporary take on a new-wave era with broken beats and well-working pads – perfectly fitting to the club scene of the genre.
Track 10, Woeman: a nice melodic theme is layered with trademark vocals in this downtempo lo-fi – with some merges of alt-pop traits.
Track 11, Now I’m Named: a piano focused filler in the realm of synthwave with contemporary beats.
Track 12, Oh My Friend!: new-wave meets early ‘80s pop with a little bit of Shade in the vocals. The drum sequence is possibly the best in the whole album and Aluron is not shying away from embracing a certain level of artistry in order to flavor the song more.
Track 13, Psalm 28: a retro synthwave with all its perks, crowned with contemporary lo-fi vocals and beats; a mix of genres in this alternative experimental.
Track 14, Desdemona: a lo-fi trip hop with esoteric-sounding vocals and playful rhythm rounds; quite a likeable musical expressionism in it.
Track 15, Able Lies: the best alt-pop song in the whole album, Aluron actually thrives in the song and nothing is too much, everything is in its place in this atmospheric hit candidate with her trademark vocal sound.
Track 16, Sindoor: it is a trip hop lo-fi downtempo with experimental takes and alt-pop vocals, a good piece for the niche-lovers, although the keyboard sound might come unexpected for many.
Track 17, For Sam and Sadie: Aluron’s storytelling takes a somewhat experimental, somewhat retro underground pop direction in this song which is well-mixed and quite moody – for the better.
Track 18, So We Survive: a darker, melodic tale with some middle-eastern trait in the vocals and the extremely well-played keyboard themes mixed with the right crescendo and decrescendo when they are needed for the emotional drive – all is a piece of art, one that is a joy to listen.
Track 19, In Search of Pangea: a peak in the album, the song that could go to world music lists with its EDM take just as it is. The well-polished vocals are a pleasure to listen and applying the “less is more” Aluron showcases her talent immaculately here.
Track 20, …And To Life: a lo-fi chill with Billie Eilish-like restrained vocals that actually fit and serve the song quite well. The beat feels incompatible in the beginning but by the end of the song it is quite acceptable. The half-tuned guitar sound reminds to The Lyricals; its great potential might come out better with a fortunate remix-remaster.
Track 21, Hallow Be Thy Pain: a vivid, broken beat electronica with world music vocals and strictly early ‘80s keyboard sound. The playfulness works for the song and Aluron’s delivery gives a good time for the listener, making it one of the bests in the album.
Track 22, though I stumble: a lot is happening in this song, the several layers and rhythms try to walk their separate ways yet stay united. A bit cacophonic intro with a worthy violin theme; all sound like a demo to work on.
Track 23, intothe-: a folk-ish childsong soundalike in the gown of experimental electronica. The ear-catchy melody and the simple beat make the song easily memorable.
Track 24, Half Me For You: a more introspective song with mid-tempo beats and Aluron’s chilling vocals in the back. The harmonies are a good refresh and their gloominess is counter-fitted with the rhythm sound.
Track 25, Born In a Price-Chopper: a short, oriental-infused contemporary alt-pop with chill-beats. The strength – once again – is the vocals: the breathy harmonies provide and extra vibe.
Track 26, Recon / Concursus: sounding like a gameplay soundtrack, it merges different ideas and a good main theme into a little bit less developed outtake – a song with great potential for a remix.
Track 27, From Tuesday: a classic early ‘80s pop sound with experimental breaks and quasi-world music backing vocals – the main theme is catchy and somewhat balances the bass line – once again, all in a genre-mixing song.
Track 28, Aftermath: a classic new-wave instrumental leads into a more experimental take. The VSTs sound right and as electronica as they should be and the subtle additions decorate the theme well – all in a nice mix.
Track 29, Forwords: the song brings Aluron’s tailored vocals mixed into a spiritual sound and a soothing key theme rides throughout the song. The drumkit is well-chosen just as the beat.
Track 30, Wuji: an etno-flavored chillout track with fitting, airy vocals that morphs into a darker and stronger electro in half tempo. The two worlds portrayed in the song are shown with musical counterpoints.
Track 31, Farewell: a timely, cacophonic, instrumental wrap-up for the album with an instrumental take on emotions and trip down memory lanes. Aluron showcases shorter musical sentences and her trademark broken beats in the mid-part, preceding an extended outro; probably the best way to close the album with this signature.
Ultimately, “Devotion / Fever Dreams” is the direct continuation of Aluron’s previous albums with a recognizable artistic evolution – and it contains a series of more mainstream songs as well, a few might even enter into radios and heard in soundtracks. Aluron is definitely an artist with a future in the musical scene.
Follow Aluron and listen her music on
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/aluron/1640159237
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alilliends/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/7IYIQmeYuEE2u0PKh8ukB7?si=yyoMd4c9R9qYofCnGZo3NQ
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-654162305-485353506