Restless Mosaic Conjures Electronic Beauty with MADE BY THAWING ICE
It’s hard to know exactly what Restless Mosaic’s Brandon Terrell Isleib is being serious about in his introductions and bios and which parts are tongue-in-cheek. This particular ambiguity is welcome for a nerdy like me. For example, in the press materials, he notes that the album’s vocalists are popular in the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator YouTube world – a world I’m not entirely sure exists, but really hope does. And as another example he begins his introspective and quirky album commentary write-up with the above “copyright notice” and proceeds to make numerous jokes throughout the commentary.
All of of this word vomit from yours truly is simply to say that Restless Mosaic is my kind of weirdo. While his particular brand of EDM is something I can never claim to have much expertise in, I know good music when I hear it. The programming and instrumentation that Isleib presents here is unique, well crafted, and often quite beautiful. As if by magic, he has conjured up 9 tracks that float from haunting ambiance to upbeat dance music – while dancing back and forth with playful, yet cohesive flow.
With my favorite sequence on the album being part of “Gedenkwald”, there are no full tracks that dwarf the others. In fact, it may not be my favorite overall track, even if it features my favorite sequence – that distinction likely goes to the album’s second track,
“Sandbags on the Flood of My Insecurities”. “Sandbags” features some darker tones and fuzzy dissonance that harken to some industrial musicians I enjoy, as well as a subtle influence of 80s and 90s shoegaze.
From start to finish, Restless Mosaic’s latest release is an eccentric and unique as it is well written and constructed. This is a recipe for something special. Don’t trust me, check it out for yourself below:
