“Empires” is a beautiful piece of music not least of all because of the easy going, easy to escape to ambiance that embraces you throughout. The song has an incredible hook, something that is not always associated with alternative or rock music. The fact that the soundscape itself works brilliantly as an effective listening experience is enough to make the track worthy of a download, but on top of this there’s a sublime development of melody leading to that all important chorus and that key moment of imagery and poetry.
WINTERSTATE is led by singer-songwriter Kelvin Killmon (Seattle, WA) and multi-instrumentalist Alex Ortberg (Rochester, MN). The pair met as students at Berklee College of Music’s campus in Valencia, Spain and have continued to write and record new songs together inspired by feel-good bands like The Killers, Mae, Anberlin, Incubus and Foo Fighters.
If anything, the track is short, but that’s the nature of the game. Better to leave them wanting more than to overstay your welcome. The energy of the track is intense and the vibes it brings offer something of an uplifting, inspiring, motivational mood that lingers long after listening. For a genre that is titled so as to appear less than clear or crisp or clean, this particular offering is as stylishly crafted and finished as possible, and it works brilliantly in the context of the music.
The music is undoubtedly soaked in a certain sort of alternative or experimental sound, but this merely adds to the individuality of the whole release, and it takes nothing away from the rhythm and drive of it all. The music is hypnotic to the point that you may find yourself dipping in and out of the lyrics, though whenever you’re in – you’re clinging to every syllable; following these lines along, pausing and heading back a little further for anything you may have missed. Creativity is key and it comes in high doses with this track. That goes for the beat, the lyricism, and the overall soundscape that has been so freely crafted yet storms into your consciousness with the intent of a lightning bolt. Well worth experiencing.
