Pictureplane
Dark Rift
Denver is in the midst of a massive molting, a music-oriented identity crisis that couldn’t have come at a better time, and Travis Egedy, a.k.a. Pictureplane, is at the helm of this radical blast-off. No, he didn’t start the local revolution. But for the last half-decade, the New Mexico native has been tirelessly working to spread fifth-dimension cheer across his own multimedia playing field, and for the first time (officially, for national label Lovepump United) his thoughts and sound have come together for Dark Rift.
Within the album is a collection of 13 songs that bounce all over the musical solar system, Egedy channeling (and sampling) the spirit of Stevie Nicks and utilizing the bursting vocals of Angela Jane on tracks that brim with new and old sonic flavor. From the throwback acid-house beats of “Trance Doll” and “Time Teens” to the poppy, Bel Biv Devoe/Deee-Lite-like sensations of “5th Sun,” Egedy eats and melts synthetic melodies together effortlessly. With no real way to capture the physical energy of a live Pictureplane show, Egedy does it best on “New Mind,” an intergalactic trip holding tight to the simplest, most effective beat on the album, while simultaneously icing it with his gorgeous whispers. Closing track “True Ruin” channels the daunting doom of a lost Black Box record, while hyping a beat that could only come from another level.
Dark Rift is an album that gives a national face to a gooey underside of the Denver music scene that has been thriving for years in the arms of venues like the now-defunct Monkey Mania and present-day vibe-sharer Rhinoceropolis (which also doubles as Egedy’s home), providing just one look at the many angles of Colorado’s fuzzy countercultural revolution. Thank goodness Pictureplane is here, active, and not afraid to bow in honor of the junglist and trance DJs of the past or ride high on a diva wave all his own. Sure, the '90s are back. But fuck false neon and Ray Bans notions; Pictureplane is a breath of fresh Cross Colours and British Knights air.
A.V. Club Rating: A
