Contact — First Contact

Growing up in the 80's, movie soundtracks made up a big part of my musical exposure and a huge part of my movie experience. Instrumental synth tracks dripping with feeling and emotion sometimes added more to the film than the visuals on the screen. This was obviously a huge influence on many others as well, and most notably, Zombi's Steve Moore and Anthony Paterra. Their brand of lush synth rock hearkens back to the soundtrack output of Goblin and John Carpenter. They used this as a stepping stone to hone their own sound, and have done quite well working their way into the hearts of fans worldwide. Zombi drummer Anthony Paterra teamed up with British film composer Paul Lawler to form Contact. Their first release is the EP First Contact from Temporary Residence, available only via a limited edition vinyl.

Seeing "member of Zombi" and "film composer" in the description for Contact, you know pretty much what you're going to get. This is double edged; It's a bummer because you aren't going to be surprised by the material, but rad because you're going to get an excellent, synthy, spacey, proggie soundtrack. First Contact isn't very long (der, it's an EP), so it needs to use its time appropriately and without filler. "First Contact" starts the record out on the right foot. Lush, long synthesizer notes take the lead, while tight, expressive drums propel the spaceflight along. Sandwiched between the two is another, more active synth layer. The layers have a nice density to them, but are still transparent enough not to obscure the rest of the track. The drums and middle layer tend more toward the gritty, city at night montage part of the soundtrack, and the breakdowns only reinforce this. It's during these breakdowns when the soulful guitar comes to the fore, and another dimension is added to an already full track. "Terminal Point" loosens up the sound a bit, but not so much that it gets uninteresting. Playing more along the funk side of prog, the synth bass keeps the layers moving while the guitar slowly meanders toward the goal. That goal? The funky, head nodding groove that erupts at almost five minutes in. "Distant Voices" slows the album down quite a bit compared to the ending of "Terminal Point." Wistful synths sparsely dance over calm arpeggios, claps, and restrained drums. Airy, new wave notes come in, and one is instantly transported to times of sitting on a thick, brown rug, staring at MTV, soaking it all in (or is it just me?). Closing the album out is the near techno "Icefall." The low, grimy synths that open up the track are quickly discarded for upbeat arpeggios, quick drum beats, and rapidly moving synth loops. This eventually gets a heavy synth lead dropped on top and works very well as both the climax and ending to First Contact.

Paterra and Lawler have put together a really excellent, very lush, and highly expressive EP as Contact. While it's nothing mold breaking, it's an awesome example of how talent and dedication can make something familiar sound so fresh. This release is limited, so grab it wile you can. If you're even remotely into Zombi or late 70's/early 80's synthesizer scores, you'll definitely dig it.