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Feb 10, 2017 Web Exclusive By Laura Stanley

Jamison Isaak (Teen Daze) is anxious in his latest release, Themes For Dying Earth. He’s worried about his own life as much as he’s distressed by the deterioration of our planet. You can hear it on “Lost” when he admits to “feeling helpless, feeing lost” or in the inclusion of “First Rain,” with Bon Iver’s Sean Carey singing of nature’s disappearance.

But Themes For Dying Earth is not a sullen record. Although this anxiety is present, Isaak combats it with messages of hope and sounds of solace. In “Lost” he has a transcendentalist solution to his feelings of helplessness—“deep inside the woods is where I go to understand”—and the glistening dance between guitars and keys on “First Rain” carry a tone of revitalization.

Elsewhere, a positivity unfolds in the synth-led layers of “Cherry Blossoms,” the coos of the pedal steel in “Anew” are serene, and the gentle synth swells in closer “Breath,” encourage you to do just as the song’s title says, take a deep breath. In all, Themes For Dying Earth is a positive riposte to negativity and dazzling light in the face of darkness. (www.teen-daze.com)

Author rating: 7.5/10