Ayria - Debris

Jennifer Parkin's Ayria has been around for almost ten years now. She has a new album, Plastic Makes Perfect, that's been mastered already and is just about ready for a release announcement. But I figured I'd talk about her roots, the album that got things started after leaving Epsilon Minus. It doesn't hurt that Debris is also my favorite album of hers (not to say things have gone downhill from there).

(Property of Alfa Matrix, used under Fair Use for direct, substantial commentary on product)

Although Ayria's music has always had cyber influences, Debris has the most. It sounds the grittiest and most raw of her albums, and that's why I like it. While her other albums are smoother and sound more like prototypical futurepop, Debris has more synthpop and EBM touches to it. I could kind of get lost in this album, focusing on the subtleties more than I could with her subsequent releases. My favorite songs from this album are "DOS", "Red Shift", "Substance" and "Kiss Me Goodnight as I'm Falling Asleep".

I can't think of any better way to open her album than with "DOS". There is little to no context to wade through in this song, not unlike the rest of Debris. The song is about the musician being unable to help out others because she still has her own demons to fight and has gained tolerance and indifference for seeing others suffer. This fight with her demons is a theme throughout the album, showing up in multiple tracks. As for the tune, it's very catchy and danceable, like most of Ayria's music. It kind of not only sets the tone for the album, but for her career, in my opinion.

"Red Shift" is easily my favorite track on the album and my favorite song of hers, outright. The deep, somewhat otherworldly beat that sets the background to her science and science fiction-laden lyrics makes the listener want to float around on the club floor. The vibrations and scratches within the song add a lot to the texture, making the song have depth. If you can only listen to one song on this album, this is the song I'd recommend.

In regard to "Substance", Ayria puts out a considerably more angry beat in the beginning than the other two songs I mentioned a feeling of stomping around, but then it gets more ethereal and a little quiet, almost as if she's coming off an artificial high. As it turns out, that's exactly the kind of effect the lyrics give, too, because the song is all about the highs and lows of being on antidepressants. According to the song, she hates being on the meds, but she also knows they're what makes her not be depressed. This is definitely the kind of song to listen to while feeling introspective.

Finally, "Kiss Me Goodnight as I'm Falling Asleep" is really different from most anything I've heard from Ayria. I would say it almost sounds like darkwave (in the Claire Voyant sense, not like, say, The Crüxshadows). The lyrics are considerably more esoteric in this song, but as far as I can gather, the lyrics are about how she is an unwelcome or harmful invader in the otherwise stable life of someone else. The song gives off a depressing feel, but if you want to listen to something that seems very different from what you'd expect out of Ayria, this is your song.

All in all, I love Debris. I feel like this is Ayria at her most raw and uncensored. Her later albums have been more polished, but if you want to see raw emotion from her, this is most definitely the album you want to get.

(Addendum: Ayria has actually been around for ten years now. According to her official Facebook page, she's been at it since New Year's Day 2003. So, maybe we should start celebrating "Ayria Day" on New Year's Day, actually -- for real.)