Review Summary: the realization that no one gives a f-
As of late I haven’t felt a lot. Music hasn’t tasted quite the same for some odd reason; a passion of mine that is finally starting to lose its shine and luster. I’m pretty sure it’s just a phase, though, or rather a much-needed break from attempting to consume every album that I deem worthy (which is a lot, trust me). I wish I could tell you that
Chroma has magically broken some sort of spell cast on my conscious but honestly, it’s done quite the opposite. At this point in the review you’re probably looking back up at the score and wondering why the hell I would say such a thing about an album I supposedly think is “superb”. To tell you the truth I’m at a loss for words why this record connects in all the right inputs of my fried-out brain. Pure and simple this is the epitome of the indie rock scene as of late; an amalgamation of the scene’s trends and aesthetics packed into an easily consumable minimalistic white album cover. Lead single ‘Metaphor’ makes this abundantly clear with it’s watered-down yet lovable chorus melody and lyrics that attempt to appear improvisational within the cleanly smoothed out vocal production. Yet every single time I hear it I sing along, begetting the somewhat irrational question:
am I being played?
This brings up another interesting dilemma, one that relates to a lot of self-reflectional doubts and circular reasoning that truly gets me and my thoughts nowhere. Because in the end, it doesn’t matter
why you identify with an artform, it’s simply realizing this association and accepting your individualism. So yeah, I adore this shit, especially the Killers-esque, nonchalant vocals that end up following the footsteps of the lead guitar’s personified riffs. ‘Lovely’ sees the band at their most cliché (“
won’t you hug me, and hold me, and tell me I’m lovely”) coupled with an obvious verse-chorus progression, yet there’s this refined passion that begets a contagious I-don’t-give-a-fuck mindset. At least, I’ve stopped caring who sees me singing along with the mountainous choir. While
Chroma constantly skirts the line between flashes of ingenuity and pre-packaged FIFA soundtrack tomfoolery, the end product is 10 slickly made tracks bubbling with that easily digestible “alternative” energy. If you’re looking for your new favorite guilty pleasure, of sorts, Mt. Eddy has plenty within the meat of this album. ‘The Whale Song’ ironically flies by at lighting speed, employing a driving punk rhythm and a frenzied chorus, while ‘Leave Me Alone’ channels its inner 2004-era Franz Ferdinand within the subtly complex transitions. And if you’re looking for a reason to finally start that band you’ve been designing for years within your mind, simply press play to the opening 7-minute title track; it’s the definition of safe experimentation and simplicity while appearing elegant and daring within its structure. And if you’re looking for something different or cutting-edge, you probably won’t find it here, but I’d be doing the album a disservice if I didn’t implore you to check it anyways. I guess if there’s any lesson to be learned from this rambling of a review, tastes are subjective, people are judgmental, and individuality is sacred.
What’s new.
