Qwertyy's Journal of Music Reviews and Other Assorted Ramblings

Ol’ Qwerty Bastard · 05-14-2016, 01:58 PM

Well, it's been a little while since I've posted in the ol' journal, and I figured now was as good as a time as any since I'm stuck in bed sick rather than outside enjoying the nice weather.

I'm dedicating this post to Dean Blunt, an artist who I've just recently discovered through his last full-length solo project Black Metal, which despite the name, is very very far from being even the slightest bit comparable to the extreme metal genre that originated in the 1980's and 90's.

In fact, the album is, really unlike anything I've heard before it. From the intro track, titled Lush,that overflows with baroque pop influence, to the third track Blow that takes a much more folky approach, and see's Blunt using his voice in very intriguing fashion. That becomes a running trend on the album, as it's clear from the start that he isn't the strongest vocalist. It's the way he uses his voice, however, that makes him stand out. With his delivery, that at times feels almost hip-hop like with the way he mumbles over the words as he spouts them out rather nonchalantly, as well as lyrically, as he ponders a wide range of topics on the project. He doesn't shy away from his hip-hop influence with his lyricism either, as he rambles on with lines like "molly water flowing in my dome" and "ridin' through these streets, I'm strapped with my nina."

There's one rather huge, ambitious cut with Forever, which runs 13 minutes long and remains almost exclusively an instrumental track throughout that time frame, and when it's followed up with the ambient, drone filled intro of X, it really shows the diversity Blunt is capable of. It's really hard for me to put a finger on exactly what goes on throughout the rest of the album, as his blend of hypnotizing art-pop is quite frankly too diverse to put a finger on. I think at the end of the day, it's an album you need to experience for yourself in order to get a grasp of exactly what's going on, and I would highly recommend to those who enjoy weird, left field pop music that isn't going to shy away from some more experimental influences. So, what are you waiting for? Give it a listen.