Pulses of hazy, gritty tone and click-y percussion guide us into DSTRY’s “Cassini Shields.” The song (referencing the space probe that studied Saturn and its system including its rings and satellites) has an animated music video that features a colorful outer space environment that shifts into scenes of the heroine of the song falling through space and roaming around an evolving set of scenery from buildings to ocean and more fantastical realms of existence. All the while almost pointillist rhythms and the sample of a tambourine keeps beat while various strands of bright electronic melody trace the paces of the song and warp off into the distance and vocals that sing and utter phrases that have emotional resonance even as their actual meaning is not discernible. None of it matters on this cosmic journey of music and visuals to the center of the galaxy where by the end of the video you see black holes forming and then transforming into planets as a figure in a space suit like those worn by American astronauts drifts forward. Is there a genre for this music outside of maybe calling it an IDM or more loosely and vaguely an “experimental electronic” song? The arbitrary designations and reference points don’t matter and the song draws you in with its warmly otherworldly energy and constantly evolving melodies and beats and within it an appealing sense of wonder and a spirit of adventure to match that seen in its visual representation. Watch the video for “Cassini Shields” on YouTube and follow DSTRY at the links below.
Queen City Sounds and Art 
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