By Gannopy Urena
September 21, 2021
3 min read
I have lived in Allston for about three years now, and in that time, I’ve been acquaintanced with the quirks of the dingy (affectionate) college town. The apartments that are falling apart, the rats, the graffiti, and most importantly, the bands and the house shows. Live music has recently become possible again after a year and half of a pandemic (that is still happening, don’t get me wrong). I’ve really missed the basement shows of the past and wanted to get in touch with local music again. Since one of my hobbies has been taking pictures of the graffiti and posters around Allston, I sought to see what music I could discover with my own eyes, walking around the neighborhood.
I found the poster for the album “The Mystery of Eels” on the bridge in front of the defunct Regina Pizzeria location on Cambridge Street about a week after it’s release on August 13th.
This is the debut album for Aediles, who formed earlier this year. They have previously released two singles on streaming platforms.
The band currently has a small following of 56 followers on Instagram and 87 listeners on Spotify, and they deserve a lot more.
The duo behind the band @milky_sullivan and @colemansullivan on Instagram- have created a video game like dreamscape in the ocean using synth, autotune, and unconventional audio mixing. I don’t know how much I'm being influenced by track titles such as Oceantine or Sister Scallop, but this album does make me think of water- the sound of the ocean, or the bubbling of a creek.
I don’t know what I want more- to use this album to study or to listen to it when I get really high.
The use of vocals and the beats that fade in and out throughout the songs are very compelling. When vocals are present, they usually are at the same level as all the other sounds of the song, making the voice sound like another instrument, instead of it’s own, prioritized category of sound. Many of the tracks almost fall in the dance genre, but there aren’t a lot of heavy beat drops. The gradually changing tempos are not frustrating or dissatisfying like a lot of 70’s dance tracks or recent dubstep tracks.
My favorite tracks off of the album are Ursa Minor and Stendeck.
Ursa Minor sounds like the soundtrack of a 90’s pixel platformer. I really enjoy the mid-tempo beat, the melodic beeping, and the dreamy synth. There isn’t much of a change in tempo throughout the song, or a beat drop- but that’s perfect. It’s a great track to put anyone in the mindset of pretending they are the main character of their own hack and slash pixelated world.
Stendeck sounds a lot different from the rest of the album. It has a much more conventionally indie sound. The song is pretty, with a soft guitar, emphasized vocals, and percussion that sounds like one of those rainsticks I remember passing around in the first grade during recess. The song is soothing, perfect to listen to on a rainy day or when you’re feeling pensive.
Overall, I think this album is great! The dreamy, oceanic, video game-like sound is unique and compelling. I’m glad I came across this album and I can’t wait to see what I can find on the streets of Allston to listen to next.
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