issue 22// vol 46 Alex Garland’s first episode of ‘Devs’ falls short » Relatable commentary and impressive visuals are overshadowed by big problems Jonathan Pabico Contributor e amazed us with his captivating sci-fi films Ex Machina and Annihilation. However, Alex Garland’s new TV series Devs begins with an episode that, despite a promising start and other positives, suffers from slow pacing and struggles to set up characters. The premiere follows the story of Lily (Sonoya Mizuno) as she investigates the sudden disappearance of her boyfriend and co-worker Sergei (Karl Glusman) at their tech company Amaya. Nick Offerman plays Forest—the down-to-earth head of Amaya—and provides surprisingly complex depth to his character. He plays his role as a laidback hipster passionate about technology, but also portrays him with disarming duplicity. Offerman also has decent chemistry with Alison Pill as Katie during their limited scenes together, and that creates a believable friendship. Garland employs wide takes, rich lighting, and visual effects for the story’s environments that perfectly lend a sophisticated realism to their futuristic looks. Furthermore, the episode represents Amaya as a spiritual sanctuary through choir hymns and a tranquil atmosphere. Sounds after the ‘Deep Mystery This symbolism offers an undertone on technology’s strange social role of enlightening us about our place in the world. Moreover, Garland uses his settings to tightly enclose his characters—making commentary on how we can easily be consumed by our relationship with technology. He explores isolation through > ‘The Afterlife’ album review Matthew Fraser Opinions Editor habaka Hutchings and his cohorts return to tear the stereotypical jazz trio image apart with the album The Afterlife, the companion piece to Trust in the Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery. This LP abounds with space-age cool, free-jazz intricacy, and techno fervour. The Comet is Coming continues to blend 70s free jazz with modern electronic music in a fresh and unheard-of style. Immediately, the LP opens with Joshua Idehen shouting “The comet is coming! Babylon burned down!” The song “All That Matters Is The Moments” wastes no time setting the stage for what proves to be a walk between space jazz and esoteric future spiritualism. The rhythm guitar and drums are spaced throughout the sound field to help create an epic preamble and soon the bassline undulates into your head while its distortion underpins the words of Idehen. The sound sets heads rocking back and forth like a metronome and your neighbors will wonder when the pulsing spacecraft will take off. As the beat poetry chanting and bassline give each other strength, the saxophone rift sets the tone for a short and enjoyable voyage into space. As if to reassure the listener from the jarring power of the first track, “The Softness Of The Present” is an atmospheric travel alongside synths with a driving yet simple tribal rhythm. After the aggressive intro, it does well to slow down and draw the listener past the Armageddon spelled earlier by Idehen and into the promise of untapped wonders. However, the title track “The Afterlife” unsettles with a deep and unnerving sound reminiscent of the void. It offers textures and synths more in line with a space- horror film. “The Afterlife” returns to the destruction foretold in “All That Matters.” Somehow, a menacing keytar paves the way for a series of saxophone fills and modes while bongos hold the pace in deep centerstage. Strange and ominous sounds float throughout while the sax player roams and haunts the soundscape. Before long lasers give way to a drumline that builds into a crescendo, eventually slipping away like mars sand through an astronaut’s gloves. “Lifeforce Pt 1” is the first of the LP’s two forays into 80s-esque computer sounds. The free-jazz sax and brush-tickled cymbals stay true to the band's origins while the digital bass veers towards the size and power of an IMAX space documentary. By the time “Lifeforce Pt II” begins, listeners are prepared for cheesy funk escapades unheard of since PBS kid’s show intros. You wont have to wait long before there is a dramatic funk key change—by the end you will be sure the sax player has three lungs. Close your eyes for a second and murky colours layered on an experimental musical score, which creates an unsettling tone for the premiere’s visual storytelling. The episode further uses this imagery to ask questions about the power held by corporations and the moral ambiguities that come with that responsibility. However, the premiere suffers from slow pacing due to the editing that imagine a monastery on Venus; to your left is a cyborg tai-chi class and to your right is a Mercury garden modeled after the sand gardens of Japan. “Seven Planetary Heavens” is the soundtrack to that scene. The key thought here is “future tranquility,” the triangle and percussion unite to make “space tantra” the new spiritual vibe. If your healing crystals demanded a banger it would be this. The latent eastern snake charmer sounds will teleport incense into your room, and the world beats flavor will transport you to the centre of galactic nL Ly Promotional image for 'Devs' J harmony. Thusly, The Afterlife ends its epic ride. he Rw AA CO prolongs some camera shots unnecessarily. Narrative flow further stalls because it focuses too much time unpacking Lily and Sergei’s work lives. The premiere is an original thriller, but there is weak tension- building that only raises the stakes during the climax. Also, the opening scene sets a gripping tone—yet the plot has trouble setting up its characters properly. Forest and Katie could have had more scenes to better establish their bond as colleagues. Lily and Sergei have a realistic relationship, except their backgrounds are poorly executed since they are only provided through exposition from supporting characters. These two leads could have been more relatable if we learned about them from their own perspectives instead. Overall, Devs sets up an interesting mystery with its first episode but is impeded by its pitfalls. It is certainly not as memorable as Garland’s films. Assuming the rest of the series is structured like this premiere, it may be difficult for sci-fi fans to remain invested in the story. Still, if you can stay with the plot long enough and if a slowly paced thriller intrigues you, then this new show could offer a rewarding experience. Cover of 'The Afterlife’ by The Comet is Coming Overall a strong LP, best suited to long time Comet or Hutchings fans—but quite rewarding for someone looking to see the state of avant-garde jazz today. BEST SONGS “The Afterlife” “All That Matters Is The Moment” “Seven Planetary Heavens”