Lee Callaghan (Evolution Music Press)

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"How fitting an Electronika album titled, Alien Invasion would lead off with a title Arrival. This had my curiosity peaked, as the ambient tones built up to a collection of musical ideas which really portray an image of the Arrival of something extraterrestrial. To build on this archetype William Kalfelz follows Arrival with an up-tempo piece named We Come In Peace. A revolving beat centered around a repeating sample of a robotic voice, “We Come In Peace.” OK, so we have established a theme, Alien Invasion features twenty like tracks which build off the previous in such a way that this concept album teleports the listener into a challenging space with dynamic instrumentation, clever samples, harmonic metaphor which entertains completely. The highlight track from Alien Invasion, in my opinion, is Shadows. This track features an eerie vocal track, “My Shadows they follow you, in the darkness”, repeated around different rhythm changes. Shadows presents itself as a typical EDM track, then William Kalfelz changes it up by modulating the beat into, I dare say, Calypso feel. Unfortunately, reviewing all twenty tracks, is outside the scope of this review however, it’s clear that the concept and theme is well-balanced throughout the entire full-length release.

 

Alien Invasion is a must for any Sci-Fi geek out there, looking to build their playlists with mature, professional beats that entertain and stimulate the imagination. The dynamic beats and samples are crisp, clear, and distortion-free, a truly well-mixed offering. This may be that William Kalfelz is a VST programmer by trade and demonstrates his immense knowledge of synths throughout every track, by not reusing any one sound. This album would also be perfect for the clubs as the dance floor will be full, due to the infectious beats, contrasting melodies, and smart syncopated beats. Of course, Alien Invasion would be best suited for licensing to any major film studio, as the ambient undertones and vibrant synths allow these tracks to be superlatively placed into any score. A highly enjoyable album worthy of many listens as each time through the listener gets something more from each track."