Review Summary: A torrential downpour of glorious piano and guitar.
By the second track of his latest LP,
Blue Leaves, kicks in, it becomes clear that Etherwood knows exactly what sound he wants his productions to embody. The London-based producer sings only one line - the title - on the LSB collab “The Rain Will Fall,” but those four words deftly summarize the album as a whole. The song is a torrential downpour of blooming synths and subtle, sweeping dynamic changes, packed with gleaming harmonies and slushy violins until there’s no room for any more noise to budge in. It’s not whatever might constitute a “typical” drum & bass song - the drums are functional but unimpressive and the bass serves primarily as underpinning for the main melody - but it’s immersive nonetheless.
Then again, this is Etherwood we’re talking about. “Immersive” has always been his modus operandi. He’s become well-liked thanks to the lush, luscious pianos and guitars which fill his songs so gorgeously, and
Blue Leaves shows him continuing along that path. The lyrics are still pretty nonsensical and trite - listen to the one-liners on “Caption” and you’ll probably cringe a few times - but, as per usual, the vocals are more appreciable for the way they help contour the frame of the song. Lyrics notwithstanding, “Caption” is a good example of everything that makes an Etherwood track so great: dense vocal harmonies, watery, ghostly guitar, and beautifully stated piano help round out a full-bodied sound. It cocoons the listener within its intricacy and care, and getting lost in its nooks and crannies is wonderful.
The only real issue with this approach of throwing so much blindingly bright sound into the pot is that after a while it’s easy to get waterlogged. The kind of intensity readily available on
Blue Leaves is wonderful in short bursts, but it can get exhausting to listen to song after song of shimmering piano and warmly jagged bass. Fortunately, there are some more understated songs available to help break up the walls of energy (and it might have been nice if Etherwood had done more in this less intense style - “Sunlight Splinters,” with its heavier emphasis on low end and less substantial piano, is one of the best songs he’s ever made), but even so the album lags a little around “For A Time I Was You” and “We’re Nothing Without Love.” It takes a massive amount of energy to stay tethered to the breakneck brilliance found within, and it’s not an experience for the faint of heart.
That being said, though, when he’s at his best on this album, Etherwood is riding near the peak of his sound. The glorious half-time of “You’ll Always Be A Part Of Me” is stunningly beautiful, all the elements working at peak efficiency so as not to overwhelm the listener, and it’s not the only time everything is working perfectly in tandem. Even though
Blue Leaves can get tiring, it’s a worthwhile slog at its lowest points and a shining example of drum & bass’ continued relevance at its best. It’s a downpour of sound which has the potential to overwhelm the unprepared - but when everything is clicking together and it settles into its groove, it’s unstoppable.
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