By Daiki Henderson
Available to purchase or stream at these links:
Google Play: https://goo.gl/zYtjJz
Itunes: https://goo.gl/WzWZZB
Spotify: https://goo.gl/eqi7DY
Vinyl: https://goo.gl/RKf7RY
Computer Magic is the solo project of artist Danielle Johnson, also known as Danz. Johnson is the singer, songwriter, and often the producer for Computer Magic. She has gained a cult following in America and success in Japan. Her music is usually described as “cosmic-pop,” and attracts science fiction enthusiasts.
This album was released on February 23rd, and is Danz’s newest full-length release. The production has a futuristic feeling, built upon elaborate keyboard and synthesizer based instrumentals. There are many spontaneous glimmering riffs interspersed throughout the tracks. These ethereal instrumentals make her songs sound as if they should be played late at night on a radio station in the distant future.
Overall, the music on Computer Magic has a very relaxing and simplistic feel which makes each composition easy to enjoy whether you are deliberately paying attention to it or not. The instrumental sections take center-stage on many of the track. The highly processed vocals also sound like just another instrument, with their highly robotic sound.
Danz’s vocals are usually layered and enhanced with special effects, making them sound as if they are part of a dream. Although the lyrics are usually repeated throughout each full-length track, they don’t strike a listener as redundant because of the vocal effects and the particular way that Johnson uses her voice. The meaning of her lyrics can be very vague at times, with some of them seeming to have multiple meanings. One example of how her songs are open to various interpretations can be found in this excerpt from “Perfect Game:” Build it up slowly/Call my name/Leveling up now/The perfect game.
The topics addressed by Danz’s lyrics are usually the same kinds of topics that are discussed in most current pop songs—such as love and the desire to be different. Johnson has said that she tried to make an album which connects to her personally, and speaks to her deeply. Many of her lyrics do sound like she put a lot of thought into them, yet most of the meanings seem like they could only be known to Johnson herself. The mystery of what her lyrics truly mean—and the fun of analyzing them on your own—adds a whole new aspect to this album.
The ethereal and dreamlike feel of Computer Magic make it seem as if it could be the soundtrack to a movie such as Blade Runner. This doesn’t come as a surprise however, since Danz has named many science fiction authors as inspirations.
The music on this project is something I can imagine being played by the inhabitants of a colorful future society. I enjoyed the imaginative instrumentals, and the fresh simplicity of compositions that evoked Johnson’s vision of a futuristic world.
I especially liked Johnson’s refreshing take on stereotypical pop topics. Despite this, I would have preferred it if she’d let the vocals take a more central role in many of these songs.