I am the Night (Perturbator)

I AM THE NIGHT

by James Kent

aka

PERTURBATOR

01	The New Black	02:17	by Perturbator
02	Retrogenesis	04:55	by Perturbator
03	Eclipse	06:30	by Perturbator
04	I am the Night	06:19	by Perturbator
05	Naked Tongues	07:51	by Perturbator (feat. Memory Ghost's Isabella Goloversic)
06	Nexus Six / Interlude	02:29	by Perturbator
07	Technoir	04:45	by Perturbator (feat. Noir Deco)
08	Desire	06:02	by Perturbator (feat. Greta Link)
09	Deviance	05:10	by Perturbator (feat. Arcade High)
10	Raining Steel	04:10	by Perturbator
11	Ghost Dancers Slay Together	06:10	by Perturbator
12	The Price of Failure	06:21	by Perturbator
BONUS TRACKS
13	Volcanic Machinery	05:22	by Perturbator (feat. Dynatron)
14	Lilith	04:15	by Perturbator
15	Girl in a Black Dress	04:48	by Perturbator

LOVE AND VENGEANCE INTERTWINE AS A DEADLY LOVE TRIANGLE STALKS THE NIGHT IN THIS FANTASTIC, DYSTOPIAN SOUNDSCAPE. PERTURBATOR BRINGS THE DARKNESS TO LIFE WITH "ECLIPSE" AND THE TITLE TRACK AND SHOWS HIS SKILL IN SEQUENCING ACTION WITH "RETROGENESIS", "RAINING STEEL", AND "GHOST DANCERS SLAY TOGETHER". HE ALSO SHOWS HIS SOFTER SIDE WITH THE TRAGIC TENDERNESS OF "NAKED TONGUES", "DESIRE", AND "THE PRICE OF FAILURE". I AM THE NIGHT PROVES THAT PERTURBATOR IS ONE OF THE GREATS IN HIS FIELD WITH ITS SKILLFUL, CINEMATIC ARRANGEMENT. IF YOU HAVEN'T HEARD IT YET, WELL, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

The Hotline Miami Soundtrack introduced me to synthwave, and Perturbator's Nocturne City EP solidified that connection, but it wasn't until I listened to I am the Night that things clicked. I'm a sucker for those Alan Parsons-esque intros, separated from the main leadoff track, and here it's a sample from the famous "I'm mad as Hell and I'm not going to take it anymore" speech from the classic 80s movie, Network. There, it's kind of played for laughs, but add the dark and brooding synth background and you have the perfect buildup to the explosion that is "Retrogenesis". I can't really listen to one without the other, now, without feeling dirty. It's unrelenting, loaded with hooks, and fires along until its sudden end as it vanishes into the night. There's a lot in the title, too. "Retro" and "Genesis" immediately imply some kind of birth of retro, or the creation of something 80s-inspired, but you've also got the contrast - the inverse of the creation of life, that being its destruction, very appropriate for this vigilante-themed album.

"Retrogenesis" isn't the only pulse-pounding track, though. "Raining Steel" is an evolution of Terror 404's "Payback Pursuit", itself a rewrite of the eponymous track from "Night Driving Avenger", with a phenomenal beat and opening (not that you can really top Linda Blair's sass). This segues into another monster, fan favorite (and one of mine) "Ghost Dancers Slay Together", with a bass beat pounding like an automatic rifle, the whole of the song moving like a well-oiled machine. I love the lightning crash lead-up; as a whole, it's the perfect soundtrack to two vigilantes meting out punishment in a dystopian future. "Technoir" opens up the second side, a great collaboration with the currently incognito Noir Deco that straddles the lines between outrun, midnight stroll, and dance.

Perturbator shows his variance, here, with some more moody yet still hooky dark synth, and that's the thing. I can't get over how unbelievably catchy this album is. "Eclipse" and the title track, "I am the Night", are a great pair that bring you down from the high of street justice to the harsh faux-realities of Perturbator's vision of the future. "Eclipse" is slightly tense, as though danger's always around the corner, but when those descending chords come in, you know you're safe... For now, at least. The latter is all about danger, though, as emphasized by the spoken word intro. And yes, things run wild in the dark, but these are the shadows of the unnamed protagonist. You, according to Kent, or whoever you imagine it to be. "Eclipse" is somber and beautiful, "Night" threatening, both ways.

Then come the soulful pieces, two with vocals and one without. "Naked Tongues" is my favorite, a very breathy and dreamy story of regret and a potentially doomed relationship. Isabella's delivery and lyrics are spot-on; I love the moment the song slows down es "you" to say "I love you". "Desire" and Greta Link are in the same boat, but it's slightly faster-paced, if still exploring the same themes. Looking for love in the dreary darkness of what might as well be Nocturne City - it adds a nice edge to the album. "The Price of Failure" concludes this story, a finale of loss and sadness, but who mourns who in the falling rain? Is it the desperate vigilante, cut down in his or her quest for vengeance? Or the partner in both love and crime, joining in "Ghost Dancers" only to be brought down? Perhaps they perish together, no less tragic.

"Deviance" is Perturbator's goofy side come to shown again with a little help from Aphasia label mate Arcade High, as seen before in bits like the "Linnea Quigley Horror Workout". We'll see Jimmy again, but for now, enjoy the light-hearted moment as it lasts. It's bright, danceable, and unlike pretty much anything else on the album. And, well, you'll get more if you buy the album - the bonus tracks are otherwise unavailable. "Volcanic Machinery" is another wonderful collab with Dynatron, some more dark outrun if you enjoyed the other action-packed tracks. "Lilith" is a bass-heavy rave in Perturbator's own image. And if you like the tender side of Perturbator, enjoy "Girl in a Black Dress", showcasing some romantic, moody noir.

WHY YOU NEED THIS ALBUM: I am the Night is huge. I feel head over heels in love with synthwave and this is the album that did it, and I come back to it again and again, alongside (heh) all my other new favorites. If you came here from Hotline Miami, like I did, you owe it to yourself to give this a spin. Good thing you can't wear out MP3s - I'd be SOL. If any of the authors have sold me on the mock-soundtrack / story presentation of the synthwave album format, it's Perturbator. It's wonderful dark synth with a mix of outrun, some dance, and some very passionate music.

WHERE TO FIND: On Perturbator's own bandcamp, here, at the very generous price of "name your own". There's no minimum, so get it for free if you're poor or some kind of heel. I recommend throwing money at the dude because this album is fantastic and if I can help facilitate him make more like it, I will. Make sure you grab the album or you'll miss out on the bonus tracks.

I AM VENGEANCE

I AM THE NIGHT