"Landscapes | Remagined": A sublime collaborative project from the duo Melodiva.

Upon a cursory glance, the artwork of "Landscapes (Reimagined)" from Melodiva has an otherworldly appeal: the somewhat abstract color palette is hazy and bleeds into each other, a psychedelic vibrance taking precedence. Impressively enough, its sonic contents follow a similar paradigm. Acting as the 'B side' to the previous eponymous release, the duo interwove its essence and broadened the scope even further. Consequently, the remodeled tracks transcend beyond the boundaries set prior, transforming into an amorphous and genre-fluid exhibition.

Enthused by the prospect of amalgamating limitless aesthetics of art and music together, Melodiva's auditory insignia proudly bears leftfield characteristics. As a debutant, they unveiled the single "Three Words, Twice" this year. The composition bears a relaxed temperament and plush in its varying rhythmic textures; organic percussions, gleaming piano and guitars, and mellow vocals coalesce in an indie rock-esque offering. To generalize, their creative mindset pays special emphasis on sculpting a hypnagogic timbre, achieved through a rich and spacious sound design.

After teasing a few of the projects this year, their milestone EP "Landscapes" surfaced online: the opening gambit "Her Music" delicately balances crunching guitar tones with a crystalline glimmer, melancholic and intimate vocals tethering the experimentation. "Nirvana" and "No Exception" adopt the template of their precursor, if not a touch sparse. With an off-kilter stance, concluding "Questions" furnishes marching drums and feathery notes to form a harmonic, conducive base for the thoughtful crooning.

For the alternative variant, Melodiva understood there was a need for collaboration to surpass expectations. Allan Low delivers an incorporeal reinterpretation of "Nirvana," crossing into the electronica, ambient, and downtempo realm with granular, washed-out ambiance over crisp breakbeat. Gone is the strut-like cadence of "Question" as composer Oman Sounds strips down the original with minimalist intentions, intertwining chill-hop drum sequence and glitchy effects; the vocals stretched out and choppy, nearly spectral. The rustic folkiness of "Sinner" is also generously altered in Hiroki Grin's adaptation, instead preceding with velvety female vocals and droning, lush synths— a sun-kissed and misty electronica twist featuring a serene flute melody.

Remaining efforts, such as the revision of "No Exceptions - Reimagined" (which serves as the initial track), invert in pacing— the drowsy, reverb-drenched qualities are replaced with a galloping beat, but not without the melodic aspects from the original. Amidst a sea of change, the live rendition of "Her Music" (recorded in Soundrays Studio) carries subtler alterations: an outcome of recording spontaneously, nevertheless, a welcome addition to this EP.

Listen to "Landscapes | Remagined" on Spotify and Bandcamp, and follow Melodiva on Instagram.