Sweet Valley is an electronic band composed of two brothers from San Diego, California.  Sweet Valley released their fourth album, ‘‘So Serene’’ this month, and it definitely lives up to the formers albums.

“So Serene” definitely lives up to its former albums, if not surpassing them. Their initial sound has stayed the same. For example, there are still no lyrics present in the music, and they still sound like the soundtrack to a 1980’s video game.

‘‘So Serene’’ also differs from its former albums. For some reason none of the tracks on the album are given names. Maybe it was to confuse the listener, or maybe it was to emphasize the idea that the album should be listened to in one sitting.

The first track just sounds like back-ground noise, until it hits the one minute mark. Gradually a basic hip-hop drum beat starts to flow through the speaker, followed by a repeating noise anyone familiar with The Legend of Zelda video game franchise will recognize. It is the sound the character you play as makes when he dies. By now the synthesizers have come in at full force, and my head started bobbing to the beat on its own.

The fifth track starts off with a relaxing melody on the synthesizer, with sixteenth notes being played on the hi-hat cymbal. Once the song starts to chill you out, the bass drops which completely changes the tone of the song from relaxing, to something you want to play loud while driving through town.

The seventh track starts with an ominous feel to it. The synthesizer is being played in a lower tone, and slowly. On top of that, there is a bell ringing every two seconds in the background. It feels like you are walking through a graveyard at night, however as soon as this track came, it left with another Legend of Zelda noise. The sound the character you play as makes when he is brought back to life.

The thirteenth track may be the most interesting one on the album. It does not focus on any musical beats, but focuses on a recording instead. The recording is of a man calling into a radio station stating that he used to work at area 51 and aliens are real.  You can hear the terror in the man’s voice, and the basic beat in the background that has a creepy feel to it.

The fourteenth and final track is my least favorite song. The synthesizer repeats a strange tune that is played slower than the other sounds produced on this track. This throws the tempo off, and makes this song a little hard to get used to.

Sweet Valley’s ‘‘So Serene’’ is possibly the best electronic album on the market. The rapidly changing beats will take you on an emotional rollercoaster. You may feel like dancing one moment, or hiding under your bed the next. I recommend ‘‘So Serene’’ to anyone, even if they are not familiar with electronic music.