Silver Lining - Mimosa Review

Electronic music undoubtedly comprises the fastest growing music scene today.  With thousands of basement artists and dozens of niche genres popping up all over the place, it’s hard to find talented, consistent musicians that put out fully developed albums.  However, the rewards of such a search can be immensely gratifying, and Los Angeles area based producer Mimosa is one such example.  Having only been on the scene for two years, Mimosa has already developed a unique, artistic, and mature sound that is solidified by his new release, Silver Lining, which may both attract new fans and leave old ones questioning.

            Silver Lining is a relatively short album that jumps across Mimosa’s resume.  Bits of the underlying dub and dubstep elements that characterized his earlier work are present, but it’s soon evident that the murky and aggressive atmosphere of 2009’s Flux For Life has been replaced by a more meditative sound.  The focus on heavy bass lines and forceful melodies is gone, replaced instead by ambient driven composition that is easy to mistake for background music.  This is Mimosa’s newfound genius; the album is brilliant not directly, but in its subtleties.  Pensive sounds are slowly and slowly added to create an extremely complex piece of music, rising, breaking, falling, and moving in and out of multiple tracks.  Indeed, the album is better listened to from start to finish than by analyzed track by track (as electronic music often is analyzed).

            Though the composition sounds deceptively calm and serene, the large number of progressions that are laid onto one track make each piece intricately forceful.  Mimosa utilizes what sounds like bell pads, mild synths, and breeze-like patterns as a canvas, and then proceeds to fill this atmosphere.  Grimy melody lines, glitchy water droplets, siren wails and yes, the driving acid bass are painted on to make for eclectic easy listening.    

That is not to say the old Mimosa has gone and has been replaced by some placate teddy bear version.  On “Pushing Little Daises,” Mimosa proves to the new scene he still has the dubstep chops, with an extremely whomp-tastic bass line that flies AWOL until a “Six million ways to die” sample brings the deep drop.  Older fans will be equally impressed with “Badlands,” another Captain Crunch filled Wah-Wah scuffle.  Interestingly, the battle between his old and new sound is heard in this one track, as the bass eventually gives way to the mild electric piano and soft atmospheric winds.

Mimosa’s Silver Lining is a calculated and well composed full length that is impressive throughout.  His largest skill, and the skill most showcased by this album, is that of creating a dense and structured mood, then lacing with additional sounds that assimilate perfectly.  The real brilliance here is that though the melodies blend together, every staticy lead, every grimy bass, and every airy sequence stands out somehow.

Key Tracks:  “When Will We Learn”  “Pushing Little Daises”  “No More Messin About”