Band: Gejius
Genre: Chillout, Techno, Digital
Album: Black Eyes
Mixed by Gejius
Mastered at New Alliance East by Nick Zampiello
No other production information provided

Gejius (pronounced like Jesus, ya know...that guy in the white robes and long hair) sounds like the birthchild of Aphex Twin, DJ Shadow and U.N.K.L.E. Or if you're not familiar with those artists...take a Radiohead album's melody and smash it together with some Oakenfold.

Black Eyes is a definite chillout album, but not one just to soothe you to sleep, destress you nightly from work or bring you off the high of the night out dancing all over town. It's a musical dreamscape for your ears. Brooding drumbeats full of bass to reverberate through your body and whimsical bells that catapult your mind into the snowy streets of Jimmy Stewart's "It's A Wonderful Life".

The tall and slender prodigy who attended the renowned Berklee School of Music creates his music on a personal laptop. Often he can be seen camped out on a stage surrounded by keyboards, microphones and even a little smoke in one of the many venues Portland, OR has to offer.

Tracks denoted by letters of the alphabet, m being the thirteenth track on the release and titled "her Eyes on Horizon" is a definite sound standout on the album. The Middle Eastern feel of the guitar sample and upbeat rhythm will have you shakin' your booty and releasing those endorphins the entire three minutes and thirty-nine seconds. About halfway through Gejius adds in a hip hop sample of, um is it cowbell?! that only enhances the groove. Pardon me while I step out for some Baba Ghanoush.

"from Above", another standout, is a mellow composition that has those aforementioned bells as well as a sound byte of a walkie-talkie transmission termination. The elements, when combined, become haunting of the nighttime when life of the city slows as people depart the streets to turn in for the night and all that is left is a ghostly yellow light to shine on the emptiness below.

"Nihongo 2.0" does a little something special on Black Eyes unlike the rest of the tracks by opening up with jazzy horns that interweave themselves through the progression of the track between sprinklings of drum machine beats and soft and sweet keyboard melodies. "Nihongo 2.0" is the song in the soundtrack of our lives for the night that we're going out on the town and feel like the hottest cat or kitten on the block as it mimics the energy build up that we're experiencing.

Black Eyes is definitely one of the longer independent albums you'll run across as well as enjoyable. Even if you're not into the techno/instrumental side of music and need lyrics you'll find yourself entranced in the melodies and rhythms Gejius creates on his laptop and wanting to loop the album the entire night. And with a track listing that carries the listener from mood to mood it's a safe bet to say that this album will only be an enhancement to your day or night.
www.musicADD.com, www.myspace.com/gejius
-uc