Review Summary: Chilled-out! And very moving when it needs to be
All things considered, probably the best Kid606 album?
Definitely one of his most fully articulated projects where he just completely nails what he's going for. This guy in particular has a tendency to be pretty versatile and try a lot of new things out, with the stipulation that it all kind of sounds like HE made it, which I mean go figure since even though he has like 3 or 4 harsh breakcore albums and just kind of started going all over the place starting with this album and going into the 2000s-early 2010s, it's definitely interconnected with this hazy blue vibe that harkens back to my childhood growing up in suburby-urby San Diego in the late 2000s to early 2010s.
It's just a very specific vibe that I trust this guy with because my childhood experience in San Diego was just coming off of the time frame this album was released in, so I feel almost compelled to sorta view it in a more personal lens, since I know he's from my home town, buttt... it really sounds like wishful thinking when you think about it. I do know this though: of all Kid606 projects, I think this one, tied with a certain 2003 album of his with a long title, captures a certain kind of blue tinted skate-park Sega-Dreamcast-era lackadaisical-mixed-with-jovial (and a fresh helping of childhood nostalgia) kind of energy that I have a feeling probably exists solely in my own head (I talk about this musical feeling with friends sometimes and I'm not 100% they understand or just think I'm messin' with them), and not only does that BUT, importantly, provides a really moving sort of musical soundtrack thats really soothing and nice to lose yourself in when your mind is in a deep, lazy, depressive sort of slump.
But it's one of those things that only works for me when I give it the time of day. Like, it’s basically annoying white noise to me when I’m worked up and agitated and too antsy to chill to something, so... it’s not perfect, but it is really really helpful when it needs to be, and pretty nice on its own even when you’re not in a put-out mood but you still want to be reminded of happier, simpler times. I would say though, at the end of the day, this album works its charm especially when you're in the midst of a mood-swing depressive crisis or something of that effect, and that’s where I’ve found my love for it. I once proclaimed this a 5-star album but I’m a little more familiar with it’s faults and I’m happy to relegate it to 4-star status for now.
Hopefully you know if you’d like it or not and, maybe more importantly, WHEN to check it out (like depending on what mood you’re in). ‘Pologies for the long-windedness but I tend to write a lot about the music that is and has been very important to me.
BEST SONG (ever): Sometimes
