Collisions In The Dark is a new 12 track album from Gizz Van Buskirk that is full of creative electronic synths and sharp guitar work. Released in August 2023, the whole album is worth spending some time with. While a bit of a genre-blender, the album is cohesive and has a unified voice. In Collisions In The Dark, retro and progressive, sound-scapes and melodies, and acoustic and synth comfortably meet. Fans of Vaporwave and Italodisco, or bands such as New Order, Eyeliner, Disasteradio, Molchat Dolma, or Lazerhawk are sure to enjoy Van Buskirk’s work. The melodies are full of movement and surprise, as well as classical and jazz style progressions and changes. The ambient tracks often contain a soundtrack quality fitting for a film, television or a video game score.
The album begins with “Downpour ’82,” an 80’s filled homage with anthem rock guitar ballads and heavy synths. My favorite tracks on the album are “Small Hours,” “Exit Velocity,” “Better Living (Through Chemistry),” “The Night Shift,” and “Collisions in the Dark.” These tracks all showcase cinematic otherworldly electronic melodies that stand out in a recent sea of Vaporwave. “Small Hours” smoothly transitions from ambient atmospheric harmonies, to stranger industrial, and almost Prince-esque, Italo-disco pop. The percussion is complex, and always moving. “Exit Velocity” starts right off with a catchy hook and follows with cornucopia of diverse crunchy textures and sounds. This upbeat song feels like a new song right out of a retro SEGA Sonic level with the production value of electronic hits like The Faint’s “Fasciinatiion” album. “Better Living (Through Chemistry)” builds up quick and gets caught in your head instantly. The bubbly synths and percussion are tight and well crafted. With moody harmonies, this complex melody-centered song bears similarities to early Depeche Mode tracks. “The Night Shift” features atmospheric Tchaicovsky-ian bells with a mysterious otherness and exoticness reminiscent of “The White Lotus” theme song.
The titular “Collisions in the Dark” is one of the strongest on the album, highlighting a variety of Buskirk’s abilities. The song begins with a John Carpenter/ Blade Runner style soundscape and builds into an atonal synth Gary Numan-esque jam. The composition as a whole is excellent. The moodier sections have the best qualities of famed video game soundtracks such as GoldenEye and Metroid Prime. The finale act of the song’s use of atonal harsh synth solo leads are intelligent and blend well with the rest of the composition. “Collisions in the Dark” is easily my favorite of an album that is already full of treats.
Several tracks on the album such as, “The Drift,” “The Love We Deserve,” “Salad Days,” and “How Can You Sleep?” uniquely combine acoustic guitar with synthesizer accompaniment in a refreshing experimental way. “The Drift” boasts haunting and complex guitar work that harkens to the Yardbirds, or Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young. “The Love We Deserve” is distinctly a work of Gizz Van Buskirk and has a charming quality similar to electronic Tejano Chicano classics such as Little Joe and the Familia or the rural video game “Harvest Moon’s” soundtrack. “How Can you Sleep? (Piano + Cello Version)” is another work fitting for a film score and a fitting conclusion to the 12-track collection.
Collisions In The Dark is full of powerful, memorable synth punches and softer acoustic works which are strangely alluring. The album showcases Buskirk’s mastery of synth sounds and their versatile, clean, and competent guitar work. Give the album a listen using the links included below. To learn more about independent, underground and alternative music, make sure to follow SharksEatMeat for all your art and culture news.
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