The transcendental soundscapes of San Francisco’s
Scott Hansen sparkle and shine in
Tycho’s first Ghostly release. The San Francisco graphic designer/electronic musician stays dedicated to the musical styles of
Boards of Canada and
Ulrich Schnauss, with liquid keyboards drizzled over gentle beats, but as the popularity of chillwave continues to increase, these types of hazy meditations are as relevant as ever. When the airy vocals of Jianda Johnson are introduced in the title track,
Hansen’s warm mellow grooves fall right in line with groups like
Small Black,
Neon Indian, and
M83. Additional live instrumentation -- provided by guitarist Zac Brown and bassists Dusty Brown and Matt McCord (on “A Walk” and “Ascension”) -- makes
Dive more multidimensional than 2004’s Sunrise Projector or 2006’s Past Is Prologue. Likewise, it’s his most downtempo effort, and all that much more soothing and captivating. ~ Jason Lymangrover