Nathaniel Eras, who makes music under his last name only, is becoming well-known on the West Coast for his brooding form of electronic contemplation. "Eros" is a new single off of his record Portals, out this week on Track Number Records. The single is built on top of a layer of crispy, hard synths. The arpeggio floating on the top is made of a lighter chiffon, however, and the functional melody is sweet, and lilting. "Eros" is an attempt to show the complexities of seduction in one three-and-a-half minute moment; the grumbling of the bass below is a warning of the danger of love, while the lilting, sweet melody is a siren song, drawing you in to the island where you will turn to stone.
The video subsitutes a single moving portrait with the same message: a woman in red, smiling and grasping a carousel pole while the camera zooms in and out. The carnival is the universal symbol for "fun with foreboding!", since part of the fun is theoretically getting hosed by carnie folk, but yet, this is where you take your girl, the one who is going to break your heart after homecoming. "Eros" paints the whole picture for you, so you can't say you haven't been warned.
