Big Wild
Superdream


4.0
excellent

Review

by Sowing STAFF
February 3rd, 2019 | 37 replies


Release Date: 2019 | Tracklist

Review Summary: Huge nostalgic 80’s dance vibes meet modern electronic production.

With all due respect to the artist, I really was not expecting Superdream to be very good. That stance came partially out of ignorance – I’ve heard so much bland electronic pop in recent years that I’ve resorted to a dismissive attitude to save myself the time and aggravation of having to listen to the same generic formulas get rolled out under a different name. However, Big Wild has altered that stance. Here, huge nostalgic 80’s dance vibes meet modern electronic production. It's vibrant, soulful, and hook-laden. In short, it just makes you want to get up and move around.

Superdream is absolutely brimming with both creative and kinetic energy. It’s a very mainstream/accessible kind of sound, but it unabashedly embraces that role. The vocals recall Børns at his happiest, as Jackson Stell – the DJ/producer/engineer behind Big Wild – glides between the ever-shifting atmospheres that comprise this animated debut. The album resides in that ever-shrinking area of overlap between the public radio/mainstream and artistic merit.

The record’s appeal can be found in little moments. Stell (aka “Big Wild”) packs a lot of ingenuity into these tidily manufactured electro-pop songs, and each creative flourish adds a splash of color to keep Superdream sounding fresh. The miniature blast beats in ‘Joypunks’ rejuvenate listeners right as they might be on the verge of writing the beginning of the record off as a retread. ‘6’s to 9’s’, featuring Rationale, is a soulful throwback with an astronomical chorus that’s truly addicting. The sudden inundation of pan flutes on ‘No Words’ – matched stride for stride with an almost tribal drumming rhythm – will make one feel like he’s drifted off to somewhere exotic. On ‘Mopsy’s Interlude’ that moment comes with the criss-crossing of rich, twangy synths and thumping hip-hop beats, which are eventually shown the door by a gorgeous acoustic guitar outro. Every song has a twist that prevents it from sounding quite like anything currently cycling through the airwaves.

Superdream is delightfully out of left field. It simply exudes fun, and doesn’t sacrifice its integrity in the process. These are still pop songs at heart, designed to hook you in and to entertain. The thing is, the album actually does that – consistently. It’s an awesome blend of nostalgia and youth, at various points it sounds like it could have been straight out of the disco craze while at other times proving its merits with complex electronic arrangements. It’s basic enough in premise to feel like it should be a guilty pleasure, but the more you dig into these compositions, you’ll start to realize that there’s some real brilliance behind all the bombast.



s
Recent reviews by this author
Foxing FoxingEthereal Shroud Trisagion
The World Is a Beautiful Place... Illusory WallsKishi Bashi Kantos
Sabrina Carpenter Short n' SweetThe Doozers Becoming An Entity
user ratings (22)
3.1
good


Comments:Add a Comment 
Sowing
Moderator
February 3rd 2019


44509 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

A quick write-up just to get this some exposure. I seriously thought it would be terrible, and it caught me waaay off guard.



Such a fabulously enjoyable pop album.

Dewinged
Staff Reviewer
February 4th 2019


32179 Comments


I heard some tracks of this and it was very pretty at times. I have a soft spot for this kind of pop so gonna give it a go. Good read, Sow.

Lucman
February 4th 2019


5537 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

This is fun stuff. Good find, Sowing.

Lord(e)Po)))ts
February 4th 2019


70256 Comments


I'll probably check, I liked one of his eps

Project
February 4th 2019


5901 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

This was pretty enough on first listen to merit a few more listens, but I'd be very surprised if I gave this above a 3.5. It's a solid "pleasant."

Sowing
Moderator
February 4th 2019


44509 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

pretty enough/solid/pleasant/fun are all accurate descriptors so no problem there



I happen to think it's a cut above most other stuff like this so I gave it a deserving bump

Pangea
February 4th 2019


10740 Comments

Album Rating: 2.0

This looks like something i would enjoy a lot

Sowing
Moderator
February 5th 2019


44509 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

I can't get enough of it tbh. Happy music should be this good more often.

anat
Contributing Reviewer
February 5th 2019


5830 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

i really feel like if i listen to this more than once i'll get cavities

momentsofclarity
February 5th 2019


618 Comments


i saw this guy live before tycho

definitely needed a drink to enjoy it

Pho3nix
February 5th 2019


1681 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

Thank you for the review. This type of music is not really my area, if you will - but this was really good!



'6's to 9's (feat. Rationale)' is probably the catchiest tune I've heard in a long time

Sowing
Moderator
February 5th 2019


44509 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

Thanks! I know this isn't musical mastery at its finest, but we've seen catchy pop albums earn high scores and honors here and among other critics before. Can't see why this would be much different; it's insanely infectious and consistent - every song is well done. Agreed about 6's to 9's as well!

McTime50
February 5th 2019


1021 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

Do you ever feel like you give too many 3.5s and 4s?



I keep handing them out like candy and I don't know what to do.

SharkTooth
February 6th 2019


14937 Comments


for something like they you could either try to think more critically about your music or take the RYM approach and hand 2/5s to albums you like

SitarHero
February 6th 2019


14792 Comments


I probably need to check out the whole album cos the write up does it for me in theory but 6's to 9's isn't doing it in for me in practice.

StonedManatee
February 6th 2019


571 Comments

Album Rating: 1.5

Too bad this isn't my thing, but I rarely like bands that try to sound like they are from the 80s.

Hopelust
February 6th 2019


3625 Comments


Any comparison to St. Lucia??

Sowing
Moderator
February 7th 2019


44509 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

I don't want to overstate it but this is so damn enjoyable. Probably one of my favorite pop albums to blindside me in a while. Kind of feels the same way as it did when I had no idea who Bleachers were and then they just came out of nowhere.

Hopelust
February 7th 2019


3625 Comments


Soooo... no comparison to St. Lucia?

Sowing
Moderator
February 7th 2019


44509 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

I don't know about St. Lucia in case you haven't drawn that conclusion yourself.



You have to be logged in to post a comment. Login | Create a Profile





STAFF & CONTRIBUTORS // CONTACT US

Bands: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z


Site Copyright 2005-2023 Sputnikmusic.com
All Album Reviews Displayed With Permission of Authors | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy