Review Summary: Change: An unpredictable thing
In 2010, Will Wiesenfeld, under pseudonym “Baths”, created one of the most immediate and heartwarming albums ever,
Cerulean. The beats where boisterous and sporadic, the production was bright and cohesive, and his soothing tenor rose over the music in a theatrical and unifying way. Every song was memorable, it almost never dragged, and it showed the potential of a new producer who was destined for great things. I had full confidence that with subsequent releases, he could transcend what he did with
Cerulean, he could tinker with his sound, change, blossom into something pulchritudinous. Which is why, last year,
Obsidian was possibly one of my most anticipated releases in a long, long time. I was excited to hear something new from him, and when I finally did, what I got was rather unexpected. And it’s not a left-hand turn kind of surprise, no, it was quite the opposite. What was unexpected is how much he
didn’t change.
Obsidian was basically a less immediate and less memorable
Cerulean. So I was understandably hesitant going into
Ocean Death, and what I got was an undeniable mixed bag.
One noticeable change is undeniably this; he, as a producer, is going considerably more minimal with his beats. On
Cerulean, the poignant beats reminded one of a warm blanket, a soft fuzzy warm blanket, and this warm blanket also gives you energy and inspiration. The beats on
Ocean death remind one of an uncomfortable walk through town, the cold wind blows through your pea coat, your thick-rimmed glasses are being fogged uncontrollably -- you're indisposed to your situation. Baths has gone considerably darker, ridding himself of the warm buzzing synths and replacing them with synths that are cold and wouldn't be out of place on a
Ben frost album. Although don’t presume that a darker change in production styles makes this a
dark album. Actually, song structure wise and lyrically, this is his most accessible, taking cues from James Blake, or even Panda Bear. He relies on typical song structure considerably more than he did on
Cerulean, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, it’s just that there is something missing form
Ocean death, the beats don’t correlate and support his voice like they did on previous releases. And nothing is as memorable, which is what made
Cerulean such a classic. Baths music sounds better when it’s not depressed, it’s more focused, concise, and cohesive.
