Local Vancouver, BC musician Teen Daze (who refers to himself as simply Jamison) has been garnering international attention with his take on the emergence of the subgenre termed “chillwave”, a musical movement initially popularized back in 2009. With four other official album releases under his belt, it’s intriguing to see just how much further he can develop his sound within the subgenre of which he is so critically acclaimed for. His latest effort is the album entitled, A Silent Planet, which was released back in August 2011 via Lefse Records imprint Waaga Records, an independent label which he is currently signed to. Drawing inspiration from C.S. Lewis’ novel called “Out Of The Silent Planet”, the 6-track album not only engages in the reimagining of the novel’s protagonist and his journey into a mystical new world, but also the recreation of Teen Daze’s own experiences with the reading of the novel itself. Needless to say, his new album elicits a decipherable difference from his previous work while still managing to remain aesthetically familiar.

Meandering away from the chilled, electronic dance music and conventional song structures prevalent in his previous releases, Teen Daze opts for a more minimalistic side of the subgenre, an experimental sound aimed at emphasizing ethereal, dreamy and celestial soundscapes that slowly permeate the surrounding atmosphere. A number of elements are utilized repetitively in this album; the adornment of glistening guitar melodies, serene synth sweeps, and cascading subdued vocals drenched in multiple layers of echo and reverb render the tracks as weightless as a floating feather.

At the start of the album, “Surface” takes the listener head first into its expansive and energetic nature until the second track “It Calls Me Under” calmly pulls you back down from your previous high. The following two tracks “I Fell Into The Light” and “The Harvest” are essentially some very notable ambient lullabies that lean heavily on hazy and dreamy sentiments. Nearing the end of the album, “Watch Over Me” picks up some rhythm with its more vigorous drive until the album closer “Malacandra” lulls the listener into a peaceful sleep after a mystical journey of otherworldly new discoveries.

While the album is indisputably cohesive in nature running on extensively similar aesthetics and themes, the danger lies in its potential of being too repetitive or soporific to the point of tedium and thus, labeled as an unmemorable sonic mass void of any substantial robust foundation. However, with only six tracks clocking in at around twenty-five minutes, this is hardly the case as opposed to the same release with a longer duration, which might then be a different story. The biggest success of the album would be its ability to truly evoke an emotional narrative through a sense of mystery, bewilderment, euphoria and comfort. That being said, it’s highly probable that this album won’t exceed single digit play counts. For those simply looking for a light and blissful aural experience, however short that experience may be, A Silent Planet would be the album to start spinning.

You can find more of Teen Daze’s music over at his Bandcamp or connect through Facebook and his website at www.asilentplanet.com