Dan Mason ダン·メイソン - Hypnagogia
Remembering the past and previewing the future, Dan Mason ダン·メイソン attains a deeply emotional and storied musical experience on Hypnagogia. The Florida producer has been involved in creating some incredible Vaporwave songs (Read More on Vaporwave). First off I know I am late on this album, its release being in January, but this is truly one of the most solid albums I’ve heard this year. Dan Mason ダン·メイソン sets a strong foundation and theme for this album straight away with the cover art and album title. Hypnagogia being the process of hallucinating as you fall asleep. (Read more about it here). The minimalistic cover art speaks wonders to this with one eye being slightly opened as the other eye is fully closed. Beginning the album with “Insomnia”, Mason already sets the tone of the album. The soft reverbed drums elevate the slow and honestly painful lyrics which gives us a taste of what to expect throughout the album. Dan Mason ダン·メイソン is able to make this album sound like it’s from the 1980s and the 2080s while still being incredibly fit for 2019. “Fade” is what truly opened this album up for me. ダン·メイソン lyrics present a truly burned out and relatable protagonist that effortlessly places the listener into the story being unraveled before them. It really drew me in with the soft synths and kept me hooked until Mason completely lets the flood gates open up towards the middle of the track. “Melatonin High” and “Visions” both express an addiction to the state of falling asleep/being asleep to me. Being the only escape and yet the thing that hurts the most. Almost as if being conscious has swapped places with being asleep in terms of reality. Living through the hallucinations and dreams that shadow over the outside world. Another favorite off this album, “Shade”, creates a story of an out of body experience. Looking at what the protagonist has become, reaching out a hand even though they know it’s futile to attempt to try and save themselves. The ever-echoing question of “Would I even accept the help if I could recognize it?” rings true to me. The fusion of pop and other electronic music elements, Dan Mason continues to show why they are at the top of vaporwave artists. Honestly, I really enjoy all the songs on this album and it's hard to choose favorites. This is an extremely strong 9 track album just under 40 minutes.
