Review Summary: I've fallen, and I can't get up.
Be it emotionally charged lyricism steeped in sadness and hopelessness, or be it immaculate production leading to some of
Billmuri's crispest and cleanest collection of songs in the catalog -
Taco is important.
For all of the humour and the goblins that have come in the 20's, it's worth celebrating the early works of
Bilmuri that paved the way. Genuinely beautiful arrangements, moments of heaviness and considered spaciness are all here to be found.
Opener
Melancholy hits home straight away, with a pulsing beat throughout the verses that quickly becomes drenched in a scorching heaviness compiled of thick riffs and the line
Got me feeling so low / let the clouds hang like they're made of stone. Following track
itslateatnightandimfeelingsad taps into Johnny's alternative mode of lofi guitar twinkle, with vocals dripping in reverb and lyrical themes of feeling lost.
Amongst all of the self pity, we do have moments of love and adoration burst through on the record.
adecentcupofcoffee is a wonderful love song, with almost pop-punk sensibilities baked in to the sound.
iloveyou &
lvl70champion follow this theme but are far more laid back in sound, employing slow careful electronic bursts over slow shimmering chords that marry up beautifully.
papabless is another highlight here, with more light guitar work layered over wonderfully produced vocals that are rich in flavour. The choruses here are simple and derivative on paper, but in practice are coated in melody and emotion - something that this outfit is the master of. You will find yourself with earworms from every corner of
Taco lodged in your mind for days at a time.
It would be remiss to not mention the short duration of this project, but when you consider the albums that surround this release, it's at least consistent.
Taco may be short, but it represents a real body of work with attention to detail. It also finds itself at a crossroads - gone is the garage emo rock of previous works, and you can slowly hear the oncoming sounds that
Billmuri would later find itself toying with in abundance far after this album - but as a standalone album,
Taco is cohesive, beautiful and unique.
