Anecdotes Of Wired Minds is the debut album from Swiss electronica duo Paraphon. The collection is a tribute to the pair’s most beloved instrument, the too often overlooked synthesiser.
By Graeme Smith
If a collection of eight tracks about synthesisers feels a little esoteric to you, then you may have a point, but Paraphon make the instrument come to life, and humanise it through the story of the world around it.
Separated into two halves, the first half celebrates early synth pop from the 1980s. Intro track Morning Thoughts is suitably light and sunny, feeling like waking up on a gloriously warm day with excitement from what’s to come. It’s a great early tone to set and its story is brought to life beautifully through ethereal but emotive vocals.
The synth pop journey continues through the funky disco odyssey Told Me, the sultry, vibrant yet chilled instrumental Intermezzo and the retro-futuristic Miles. The latter rounds off the first half eloquently, creating a mid-album jewel of a track.
The second half has a more modern approach and, indeed, Paraphon push the experimentation, bringing lots of fresh angles to the electronica genre. Wired Minds is a downtempo, poetic modernisation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. It’s a highlight. Afterlife is a pulsating piece of dark electro, while Spanish Sahara is the pair’s expansive take on the Foals’ track of the same name.
The album is rounded off by Forest of Fairytale. As full of life as an otherworldly, natural landscape, Paraphon throw everything at it, with rich bass, layers of electronica and a surprise around every corner.
So, whether you’re a synth enthusiast or not, whether you’re into your nostalgia or like to look forward, there’s something in Anecdotes of Wired Minds for you. For all its layers of artificially-generated music, there’s a beating human heart at its core which anyone can enjoy. The album serves as a wonderful introduction to the world of Paraphon – one I’m looking forward to explore more.
You can listen to the whole of Anecdotes of Wired Minds below.
