Made up of Gabriel Montana Leis and Mie Araki, Tidelands is an experimental, ambient, folk band from San Francisco, CA. Their album, If…, starts off with “Holy Grail,” which is fueled by Leis’ varied vocals throughout. “Holiday” has its gloomy moments with flugelhorn and the cello. Bringing a foreboding vibe to the relatively mellow album, “Eyes Of God” incorporates all the instruments, including the voice, to instill a chill down the listener’s spine. The track changes its tune and brings in an airy guitar and classic rock drumbeat to add more of a spiritual feel. The entirely instrumental cut, “Amulet,” provides a sad and folky ambiance to If…, which leads into “Letter To A Young Soldier I Love,” a love story set to music, full of emotion.
The second portion of the release starts off with soft drums provided by Araki, which sets the stage for the beautiful harmonies of the Magik*Magik Orchestra, who provide additional instrumentation throughout the release. “The Ship” is one of the more upbeat alternative tracks on If… The narration in the song along with how the orchestra blends in yet stands out against Araki’s drum beat makes “The Ship” a top-notch tune. Another instrumental, “In The Wake,” will have the listener feel like they are floating in water. The pace of the music has a tide-like effect. And the final ditty on Tideland’s If…, “Marigolds,” brings a magical, carefree vibe to the release through the use of the bells. The longest track on the collection is uplifting and recaps the narrative that was told through If…
All in all, If… will engage the listener in a story while providing harmonies perfect for chilling out to.
In A Word: Chill
