Review Summary: Baby, I'm wasted
Everyone remembers 'Faded'. That mellow hook, the simple yet satisfying bass, the toe-tapping rhythm, that singalong vocal; more or less the ultimate deep house driving track in recent memory. It speaks volumes about the song’s producer that the track is so base in its composite elements, yet still has a real depth of emotion to it. Is it the undercurrent of melancholy to the slowly building instrumental that lends it this verve, or is it simply the combination of the fluxing melody and the yearning, soulful female vocal? Whatever it is, the fact remains obvious that Steven Zhu, known mononymously as ZHU, has an incredibly incisive ability to pioneer and layer simple elements to craft a composition with a paradoxically impressive level of emotional complexity. The track garnered ZHU mainstream credibility and popularity, an award he has gladly accepted and ran with. It is somewhat refreshing in an age when the vast majority of electronica found in the charts is either obnoxious big room EDM or underwritten deep house, that ZHU has manged to find himself a relatively original niche. Although his music is most easily pigeonholed as deep house, it exhibits elements of jackin house and tech house just enough to lend the formula some spice. Despite this, the entire style found on
Generationwhy is shot through with a noticeably chilled-out feel; in the realms of modern music, its' Tove Lo meets Shadow Child on opiates approach is a noticeable departure; a happy medium which could be found on the playlist of the radio station your parents listen to, but also blasting out of the floor-to-ceiling speakers at your Saturday night party.
Traditional deep house values permeate
Generationwhy; bass that registers as melody and simple drum loops are the most prevalent stylistic, but the addition of a vocal on every track is pleasant and welcome addition that fleshes out the album, both emotionally and sonically. Lyrical themes are philosophical in tone but do occasionally lapse into pseudo-profundity, most notably on the recurrent monologue of ‘Good Life’. There are also some typically shallow singalong sections on tracks such as ‘Secret Weapon’, but these, whilst hardly a progressive addition, do afford the lyricism some balance. Content aside, the vocal elements are largely there to form an additional melody within the tracks, and they do this remarkably well. The intro track ‘Neon City’ makes use of sleazy, jazzy synth- a motif that is recycled throughout the album- to lead into second song, ‘Cold Blooded’. One of the simplest of the album, yet also one of the best; it is a vocal-led track with an earworm melody and a sharp development curve, lurching from male to female vocal with the backdrop of heartbeat bass. As more elements introduce themselves into the sound- synthesizer washes, bass fluxes and stuttering percussion, the expansion is obvious, welcome, and impeccably paced.
‘Electrify Me’ and ‘Numb’ are blissful and well arranged, and conform slightly more to the traditional deep house sound than the rest of the release, albeit only relatively. ‘Numb’, particularly, is ankle-deep in tech sensibilities, and the distorted mid-point vocal and musical drop-out allow for hand-raise respite before the bass and loops drop back in. ZHU is clearly experimenting with different sounds; pianos, brass instruments and guitars are electronically reincarnated and their sound warped to appropriately suit the ethic of the album. The guitar introduction of ‘Palm Of My Hand’, which is accompanied by a siren sound effect, has a classical, neo-noir feel to it, the subdued voices muddled into the background just barely noticeable amidst the wall of sound. Later, a piano is made a prominent feature of the track. It is well-orchestrated and leads into the more harmonious, instrument-driven approach very well. The core of
Generationwhy’s emotionality definitely finds its groove early on, with single track ‘In The Morning’. Silky smooth and with a seductive, breathless female vocal, the whisper-soft melody creates an experience of bliss, coupled with a bassy undertone that adds urgency and punctuates the vibe throughout. The orgasmic moans coupled with the intermittent dropouts is a sharp and innovative touch that is in-keeping with the rhythm, but also pleasantly off-the-wall for an electronic track of this type.
‘Money’ takes a much more barebones approach, but is still satisfying in its simplicity, with an arching falsetto vocal and satisfying synth rhythm. ‘Hometown Girl’ is similarly simple, but is given a slower pace and an almost tropical house feel to its initially plodding beat. Undercut by a solemn undertone to its lyrics, it is well realized and a scenario that many experience, manifested in an eloquent way. The use of a funk-lite guitar rhythm hammers home the sense of nostalgia and impending sadness- a surprisingly intuitive track, given charm by the simplicity of its approach. Best track on the album, however, must be ‘Reaching’; beautifully written and with a bass melody that is both well integrated, yet dominant in its different approach. The vocal here too, is exceptional; beautifully emotive, and given an attitude by the consistent beat. It almost feels like a remix of a popular track, but in a way that gives the entire experience new life by keeping the core aspects, and revamping the feel and vibe in every conceivable way. At the other end of the spectrum, the only track that could really be considered subpar is the title track. Inexplicably released as a single, with an accompanying (admittedly great) music video, the song is repetitive, underwritten and melodically lacklustre after the initial hit. A very underwhelming album closer.
Electronic albums by mainstream artists generally tend to be very hit and miss. Since such producers generally find their popularity amongst revelers on the dance floor, full length releases tend to be a hastily thrown-together catalog of similar tracks with no real cohesion. Fortunately, this is not a statement that can be said of
Generationwhy, as the release has clearly been conceived as a whole, with a consistent feel to the tracks despite them being markedly individual. It is an album that can be easily enjoyed as a whole or in part, and is equal parts party vibes and coffee room ambience. Lamentably, though,
Generationwhy is so consistent in tone that the full running time of the release can mean that by the end, the formula feels a little stale. Although there is variety between the instrumentation and production, the general sound and vibe remains constant, and this leads to a mild tedium in the album’s latter stages- which is especially unfortunate, as a number of particularly strong tracks linger here. For the most part, however, the album is strongly crafted, well produced, sombre and more than bassy enough to satisfy the party crew. The additional joy is that ZHU’s maintained style feels original. Progressive, even. And for a genre that tends to be satisfied wallowing in established trends more than any other, this is a much needed buck for the mainstream’s standard.
