Release Date: November 8, 2011
This year’s Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin in early November was the North American live debut of Keep Shelly in Athens, a Greek boy-girl duo with a minimalist attitude of all things electronic. Known only as KSiA, these two have successfully maintained mystery in the media, and until their first U.S. performance, their faces were even unconfirmed.
Nearly a year since their debut release In Love with Dusk, their follow-up EP, Our Own Dream, is a collage of vintage and futuristic tones. It’s a mish-mash of dream wave, dubstep, hip-hop and techno coated in a thin layer of fog. These two have successfully combined European and American electronic styles to create an eccentric blend of their own.
The downtempo Balearic style of KSiA is unconventional with skipping, distortion and sped-up samples. Our Own Dream resembles a soundtrack format. The highs and lows are of monstrous proportions from the dreamy opener of “Lazy Noon” to disco-infused “Fairytale.”
This duo will throw a punch with dropped beats and then gently sooth the mind with mellow vocals and ambient tones.
Opening track “Lazy Noon” is purely minimalist lounge-wave. It begins with soothing sounds of ocean waves crashing upon the shore. Slow, steady beats chime in on a hazy repeat. It’s dreamy and sexy; music you’d likely hear in a chic New York boutique or an episode of “Sex and the City.” Looped beats float through spacious vocals with the essence of modern art deco.
But then, the dreamy, Euro beats take a lower tone in title track “Our Own Dream.” Beats surround overhead like a futuristic atmosphere. Thumping in subtle tones of dubstep and hip hop, “Our Own Dream” has a sprinkle of everything. It’s majestic with a cloud of distortion, which is sped up as the song exits.
Closing track, “A) The Rouge Superhero B) Ready to Pay the Price” is a funky and eclectic. The 1980s pop-infused synthesizer continually echoes in the backdrop fronted by DJ scratches for an old school hip-hop feel while soft vocals float with contrasting melodies. Halfway through, the tone takes a turn with metal guitar riffs layered with pulsating beats.
While this mysterious Greek duo is a newbie when it comes to the American scene, their genre-melding and danceable beats are easily translated into the hazy world of atmospheric electronica. Our Own Dream has a little bit of everything. With its wide span, it’d be hard to say that at least one track won’t tickle your fancy.
Keep Shelly in Athens – Our Own Dream tracklist:
- “Lazy Noon”
- “Our Own Dream”
- ABADABAD – “California Birds” (Keep Shelly in Athens remix)
- “DIY”
- “Fairytale”
- “a) The Rogue Superhero b) Ready to Pay the Price”
