Ai Wana - Donor Lens ft. Jana Tyrrell, Tsudio Studio, Eyeliner (Review)

 

What are we  t a l k i n g  a b o u t ?

Ai Wana by Donor Lens (ft. Eyeliner, Jana Tyrrell and Tsudio Studio) is a strategically organized and thoughtfully executed example of where vaporwave is branching out to in late 2021. 

Thom and Jay of Donor Lens have pulled off what is essentially a musical magic trick: play the same song three different ways and keep the listener wanting more. I have been bouncing around between the three versions for a few days now, and I can’t pick my favorite one. They all have so many strong attributes that make for individually strong singles.

In order to create these three unique tunes, Donor Lens teamed up with three brilliant collaborators to create some of the most innovative synth-ornamented vaporpop earworms I’ve ever had the pleasure of listening to. Those collaborators were:

    

   

 Tsudio Studio

Jana Tyrrell

   

Eyeliner/Disasteradio 

The song was originally intended to be included on Donor Lens’ hit album, Midnight Store (Well, it was included...in a way...more on that later).

“It stuck out loads, because it was a summer city pop song. The rest of the album is about nights gone astray and...like...getting lost in the supermarket,” Thom mentioned. So they chose not to include the track...per se.

While this song has technically been eccojammed and recorded live prior to this release, the Ai Wana release allowed the tune to truly evolve and become a full sequential collage of musical moments. We get the song in English, Japanese, and then Japanese mixed with amazing MIDI saxophones!

Who A_R_E  they?

Donor Lens is a duo of two very eclectic and skilled musicians/producers, Thom and Jay. They both come from wildly different musical backgrounds, which creates a surprisingly cohesive sound across the board. 

Thom’s harmonic background is rooted in jazz/classical while Jay’s is rooted in metal/hardcore. They both have a strong appreciation for city pop, and that is what helped to create this one-of-a-kind banger.

Jay is a jack of all trades with involvement in a variety of musical projects from Timeshare’94 to 3PeaceSweetz (both v-wave projects) to being a co-founder of My Pet Flamingo and TimeSlave Recordings. 

As I mentioned previously, Jay’s major influences come from death metal/hardcore, etc. from his younger days. 

“I think I overdid it, and now my musical taste is all over the shop.”

Though it’s been a while, he is still heavily influenced by that realm of harmony regardless of the genre he and Thom are exploring at that moment. 

Jay draws tons of inspiration from bands like Counterparts, Architects and Napoleon (especially in the guitar department). 

Thom is also an incredibly well-rounded musician with participation in a wide variety of musical projects from the band, Habraxas (six-piece future-fusion/neo soul) to Love in Dust (ambient electronic) and Wichita Limewire (experimental vaporwave). 

As I also said prior, Thom’s harmonic sense of self is rooted in jazz/classical music. This was incredibly apparent when he sent me over a beast of a chord chart for the tune (check out the B section especially). 

Thom also filled me in, “Things that definitely fed into the tune: The Rah Band, Patrice Rushen, Salsoul disco singles by Inner Life...Surface…”Sprinkler” by Tatsuro Yamashita and other city pop bangers."

Donor Lens’ appreciation for charting out a tune allowed for them to successfully execute this truly collaborative project. Whether the remix was recorded in the studio in person or sent through stems via the good old interwebs, exemplary jazz musicianship prevailed in communicating through trusty charts, a process I’ve grown so fond of over the years. 

/:P L A Y  by  P L A Y:\

The Donor lads decided to go in a multi-lingual direction a la 99 Red Balloons/99 Luft Balloons. 

It was Thom’s idea to reach out to Tsudio Studio for the version with Japanese vocals. Both Jay and Thom adored TS’ music and style. They learned of TS through Pad Chennington’s Block Party. 

TS was super into the idea, and it came to life quite quickly! Tsudio Studio took the original English lyrics and did a very loose translation, changing things up so that they sang/sounded better. 

Here is the lyrical transformation:

English lyrics

I see your face Everywhere I turn Nothing can replace the Moments we shared I know that you're no good But I can't get you out my head I'm tangled in a love bizarre It's hard to describe the way I feel when I'm in your arms I've fallen, caught in your trap Better embrace the situation cos there's no way back (ad libs) A Love...Bizarre Friends tell me I'd be better off without you More myself without you I know it's true (it’s true) I'm not planning this forever But it's what I need right now

Translation

Your face

Remember wherever you are

Only for me

I know you're not you

Oh but this love

I believe there is no substitute

Dance in the palm of your hand

I can't go back in your trap

Oh but this love

I believe there is no substitute

Dance in the palm of your hand

A stupid man struggling in your trap

Everyone tells me it's miserable

I know all the truth

Oh but this love

I believe there is no substitute

Dance in the palm of your hand

I can't go back in your trap

Oh but this love

I believe there is no substitute

Dance in the palm of your hand

A stupid man struggling in your trap

Transliteration

Kimi no kao

dokoni ite mo omoidasu

boku dake no

kimi janai no wa chanto wakatteru

Ādakedomo kono koi no

kawari wa nai to omoikon deru

tenohira de odoru

kimi no wana de mogaku mōmodorenai

ādakedomo kono koi no

kawari wa nai to omoikon deru

tenohira de odoru

kimi no wana de mogaku bakana otoko

Daremoga boku

ni mijimeda to iukeredo

hontō no

koto nante zenbu shitte iru[[

Ādakedomo kono koi no

kawari wa nai to omoikon deru

tenohira de odoru

kimi no wana de mogaku mōmodorenai

ādakedomo kono koi no

kawari wa nai to omoikon deru

tenohira de odoru

kimi no wana de mogaku bakana otoko

愛罠

君の顔

どこにいても思い出す

僕だけの

君じゃないのはちゃんとわかってる

ああだけどもこの恋の

代わりはないと思い込んでる

手のひらで踊る

君の罠でもがくもう戻れない

ああだけどもこの恋の

代わりはないと思い込んでる

手のひらで踊る

君の罠でもがく馬鹿な男

誰もが僕に惨めだと言うけれど

本当の事なんて全部知っている

ああだけどもこの恋の

代わりはないと思い込んでる

手のひらで踊る

君の罠でもがくもう戻れない

ああだけどもこの恋の

代わりはないと思い込んでる

手のひらで踊る

君の罠でもがく馬鹿な男

Tsudio Studio recorded a single pass singing through a vocoder-style effects chain. One take was all they needed. The harmonies were created artificially by DL after with the handy plug-in, iZotope Nectar. 

If you haven’t listened to Tsudio Studio, you’re missing out. It’s a brilliant blend of synth pop, chillwave and more decorated with a gloss of autotune and nostalgic wonder. 

Check out Tsudio Studio’s music here:

https://tsudiostudio.bandcamp.com/

Jay mentioned, “Originally, we collaborated with Jana Tyrrell on the first version, Love Bizarre. We actually chopped up and repurposed the track on our album Midnight Store and recorded a live version on our Live at Pink Bird album.”

So, basically the DL duo sat on this amazing track and didn’t release it until just the other day. 

Prior to release, as Jay mentioned, they eccojammed the unreleased track. You can hear shadows of the track on it on Out My Head (A Love Bazaar) and It’s Hard to Describe (A Love Bazaar) on DL’s LP, Midnight Store.

Thom filled me in, “I’ve been working with Jana for years in various projects, and she is Donor’s most regular collaborator. Super easy to work with and full of great ideas. Her solo music is slept on too, so check it out! No Jana Tyrrell, no Donor Lens - Jay and I first started performing together as part of her backing band.”

Jana’s collab track is the second on the album. Her warm, smooth vocals fit right into the track. Hearing the track in English right after the Japanese version is really something special. 

Jana’s solo material is lovely. Be sure to check it out here!

https://soundcloud.com/janatyrrell

You can also check out a video version of Love Bizarre with Jana Tyrrell in this clip:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yiJEzbj6rU

For the final version, the great Eyeliner/Disasteradio was sent stems and MIDI data. Eyeliner reworked the feel and added their own custom M1 sound palette. The guitar/synth solos were turned into synth saxes. So fantastic!

As an avid M1/Wavestation user myself, I truly admired this creative decision on the remix. 

Eyeliner was the ultimate artist that opened me up to the world of vaporwave-style music. I was introduced to a whole world of MIDIwave, slushwave, eccojams, mallsoft and so much more. 

Eyeliner’s M1-infused version mixed with Tsudio Studio’s vocals gives me warm memories of computer game music mixed with old soul albums my mom used to listen to on tape cassette. It really is a joy to listen to, an intriguing collaboration. 

Check out Eyeliner’s music here:

https://disasteradio.bandcamp.com/

Also, if you haven’t heard this one, this was my jam in college:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-LKa1Y9_ok

DL/:analysis.exe

The chord progression is the same across the board for all three versions. We begin with a pedal tone on a low F. This can be such an engaging musical choice. Donor Lens fully executed the use of this device to create a hybrid mix of steady foundation hand-in-hand with dissonance that cracks the foundation just a smidge. It’s all nice and groovy with a bit of grit on that slash chord Gb/F. 

That pedal tone sets a feel that completely opens up and throws us into a whirlwind of melodic bliss. 

This chorus though. This chorus is so satisfying. 

After hanging out in the world of F for so long, hearing a beautiful IV, V, I vi is just so pleasant. 

This motif drives the entire musical project. 

It screams summer vacation, late nights staying up watching movies, hanging out at the beach. It’s just so much joy in a single progression.

However, it’s the choice of WHEN to use the progression. WHEN do we begin to move the bass around? DL has built up a wall of F. One may even get confused and make the assumption we’re in F Minor. But, we’re so not. Fm is the ii chord of the key we’re in (Eb).

On the word, “Love” we land on the I chord. That is such a magical moment. 

The second half of the chorus is filled with borrowed chords/thirteen chords. It’s marked as Gb/Ab. That dominant chord borrowed from the key of Db major really throws me for a loop. It’s lovely. 

Then, in the second half of the chorus, we don’t get that I down to vi. Instead we get a Db/Eb followed by an Eb/F. It’s like they were looking for borrowed chords, and the only people that could loan the needed harmonies were the vapor gods themselves. 

The half diminished chord followed by the altered chord. It’s a great example of jazz fusion mixing into this beast we call vaporwave. 

The bridge is really something harmonically. I think John Coltrane. I think Bill Evans. I heard Herbie Hancock. I thoroughly enjoy hearing improvisation over these changes. It’s up there with FM Skyline’s latest album for the vaporwave version of Giant Steps.

B_O_T_T_O_M (line)

Ai Wana by Donor Lens is an adventurous, harmonically-packed work of jazz/vapor pop. It is definitely worth your time and a purchase!

C:\Where?

The EP/single was released by My Pet Flamingo virtually as well as on tape cassette. 

https://mypetflamingo.bandcamp.com/album/ai-wana-love-bazaar

Music video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeN19jcEzPk