Review Summary: For anyone seeking out uplifting music look no further.
In a discography that was dominated by heavy progressive metal at the time,
Let Yourself Be Huge was a breath of fresh air. Ben Sharp showed us that he had absolutely no problem creating heavy music. After listening to two incredible records in a row, it was clear that he dug himself into an impressive niche, but it is always a fantastic idea to switch things up every once in a while. This time around we get an absolutely uplifting album that is delivered to us through unexpectedly soothing guitar melodies and an overall pleasant atmosphere. Basically, imagine an entire album of songs like 'It's Just Wide-Open Field' from "Beacons" and that is essentially "Let Yourself Be Huge" in a nutshell. From the perfect way the album art showcases the mood to the stunning way it ends, this record soars.
Instrumental music often has a power that no other genre could ever duplicate. It is capable of mirroring some of your memories and it makes you experience them again in unexpected ways. In this case,
Let Yourself Be Huge brings out all of the beloved memories that you will always remember. As soon as the beautiful acoustic guitar kicks off in "Welcome Back," it's very clear that Sharp was going for something along these lines. Rest assured, it's impossible to not feel something uplifting or some sort of catharsis while listening to this. It's also extremely impressive how this record manages to accomplish all of this in just under twenty six minutes.
It alternates between interludes that are under two minutes and longer pieces that make up the meat of the record. Each piece of music brings something new to the table. "Explore, Be Curious" utilizes extremely catchy guitar riffs that have a very unique sound to them while one of the highlights of the record, "The Word Water," showcases a pleasantly gentle acoustic guitar riff. Granted, the record as a whole is driven by guitar, but make no mistake that it's bursting at the seams with variety and amazing build ups like in "It's Inside Me, and I'm Inside It." The song starts out with just a simple acoustic guitar, but it builds into an incredibly soothing crescendo. The bass also really adds to the uplifting atmosphere and the rhythms that Sharp programmed into the music help bring everything full circle. The fact that Sharp doesn't seek out a session drummer to play his music really shows what a talented musician that he is. He accomplishes all of this music by himself as a one man band and this record reveals how passionate he is for his art.
Out of every song on
Let Yourself Be Huge the song you will be floored by is the title track and what a way to end an album like this. It epitomizes happiness in every way possible and once the song crescendos into a tear jerking guitar riff at the 1:47 mark all you will feel is euphoria. It also boasts a complex drumming performance and vocals that come in out of nowhere that add to the euphoric atmosphere in unexpected ways. Anxiety can be a powerful force that consumes like cancer and like cancer, left untreated could lead to devastating consequences. However, this song evokes a sense of hope, faith and serenity that most songs simply feel to convey even when they try their hardest. I implore anyone who is going through a deep state of anxiety or even depression to give this song alone a listen. Plus, the significance of the title
Let Yourself Be Huge proves to be all too appropriate because of the hope that the song conveys: To not live in the shadows of our doubt and reach for the sky and truly let ourselves be bigger than we truly are. It's the absolutely perfect note to end this short but sweet record on and anyone who is truly suffering from deep despair should look to here for a brief escape. The final track alone exists as a testament to make the most about life and to look at life as a blessing, giving true meaning to a certain phrase. However, it's not "I think," but "I know." Take these aspects away from this album as a whole and most importantly, this song and the path to happiness will be a lot less shorter.
