Here's something you don't see on this blog very much these days. It's a new record by a contemporary artist that doesn't sound like it could have been made years ago. It's actually heavily synthesized, with treated and/or falsetto vocals, some spoken word/rap lyrics, and mostly electronic drums. That's four things I usually don't care for. It's modern, and surprisingly, I like it very much. I never would have picked it out myself - my son-in-law sent it to me. We both love music, and our tastes in music are approximately 180 degrees apart. I try to find stuff he might like and he does the same, but it doesn't work every time for either of us.
The record opens with the title track, a spacey synth orchestra piece with a spoken word/rap lyric that has a lot of words that are interesting. It's good. I should mention that on most of this record, I wouldn't get any of the lyrics without the lyric sheet, so thank goodness they included it. Next up, Dead Inside Shuffle has great funky beats, treated vocal, horns, and sounds a bit like a Prince tune. Not Needed Anymore has a fast monotone beat, and guitar that I would not have identified as guitar without the credits, and another good lyric. Shallow Laughter uses more spacey synthesizer plus violin and cello and incomprehensible lyrics. Bitches follows with another hot beat and fast tempo. Message is a sad ballad with interesting instrumentation. And that's only side one of four.
Side two opens with Failing In A Cool Way, a highlight for sure, with great drums, funky rhythm, and another great lyric. Disappear is a mellow ballad with more obscure vocals. I'm Tight is another great one featuring fast and hot drums, a trance-like beat, and a lot of wordy lyrics. True Love gets a synth sound from treated guitar and has a nice, almost discernible lyric.
Four of the five songs on side three feature more great funky drumming. Planet X is another Prince-like fast rap, Let Me Snack goes from a quiet start to a hard rock/metal section and more squiggly synths, Forgetting has a nice lyric, Park Your Car On My Face makes the best use of horns anywhere on the record and has some naughty lyrics, and Don't Care has a fine guest vocal that you can hear and a nice jam with bass, drums, and synth.
Laughing In Her Sleep is a beautiful love song. Outer Moat Behavior is mostly groove, and it's a good groove. When is another love song featuring a nice guest guitar at the end. Let It Happen is a slow building beauty with a big sound, and Little Piano Thing is sweet and simple to close the record.
Of the twenty songs, ten are outstanding and the rest is almost as good. There are no songs that spoil the party, and that's impressive. The lyrics are interesting, sometimes funny, and occasionally downright charming. The falsetto voice he uses most of the time is fine. His synthesizer work and the compositions themselves are very good, and interesting. But the highlight, at least for me, is when he's behind the drum kit. He's a really great drummer, creative, sometimes jazzy, always funky, and consistently hot.
Wow, something really new that I really like.
