Well, I done fucked up.
Did a list of my favourite music of last year. I stand by most of the choices on there, but one large mistake slipped through the colander without my noticing.
Bo En (Callum Bowen) is a London producer. He seems to be fluent in Japanese, but also in 808s, melodies and the way people feel. He doesn't capitalize his name, but I'm going to, because he deserves it. Like I said last time, discovered him from a Saint Pepsi tweet, then followed him on Twitter. A lot of what he reposts is people praising his album, which apparently happens so often that I'm surprised this isn't on the actual charts yet. People love this shit, and it's hard not to see why; there's an area in everyone's head that his music is able to hit. It's universal.
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Last time I covered this I gave it flak for the overly simplistic, underwritten lyrics. I've changed my stance on that a little. "I love you and I don't have a thing to say" is not Ezra Koening-level lyricism, but it's something that the human race as a whole can connect to. Sometimes there's a lot to be said for simplicity.
The main lyrical themes of this album are loneliness, the passing of time and simple, humble affection. These are all universal concepts but can very easily leave me bored if done wrong. Bo En's secret is in the instrumentals. He pumps them up until they're planet-sized, until the lyrics seem bigger than they ever would be otherwise. More harmonies! More wildly clicking 808 rims! Throw in a drop here and there! And this could have been so easily ruined too, but Bo is obviously an accomplished composer alongside everything else. Every groove is tight enough. Every drop explosive enough. The reverb is impeccable. All the chords fit perfectly. The vocals are surprisingly solid. The man knows exactly what he's doing, in the same way Nigel Godrich does, or Brian Wilson did (yes I just drew a comparison to Pet Sounds. Don't act like Bo En isn't on the same level).
That's about all I have to say this time around. Writing about this album is harder than you'd think, because the album's strengths are not in the complexities, but in the pop sensibilites. In less sterile terms, this album just sounds ridiculously good. Just obscenely listenable. What can you even say about that? I'm not going to find the words to describe why Miss You works, or how Winter Valentine actually made me cry last time I listened to it. All I can say is that Bo En killed it in 2013. Thorougly killed it.
On the list I made, this was #5, I think? It should have been #1. You know, I do still like PISS SPEARS, the #1 on that list, but this is worlds more worthy of the #1 spot. Tell you what: I'm not editing that list, for posterity reasons, but Pale Machine is my real favourite album of last year. It may even be classic material, depending on your definition of a classic. I guess we'll see if it's still as good in 5 years' time.
Did a list of my favourite music of last year. I stand by most of the choices on there, but one large mistake slipped through the colander without my noticing.
Bo En (Callum Bowen) is a London producer. He seems to be fluent in Japanese, but also in 808s, melodies and the way people feel. He doesn't capitalize his name, but I'm going to, because he deserves it. Like I said last time, discovered him from a Saint Pepsi tweet, then followed him on Twitter. A lot of what he reposts is people praising his album, which apparently happens so often that I'm surprised this isn't on the actual charts yet. People love this shit, and it's hard not to see why; there's an area in everyone's head that his music is able to hit. It's universal.
Last time I covered this I gave it flak for the overly simplistic, underwritten lyrics. I've changed my stance on that a little. "I love you and I don't have a thing to say" is not Ezra Koening-level lyricism, but it's something that the human race as a whole can connect to. Sometimes there's a lot to be said for simplicity.
The main lyrical themes of this album are loneliness, the passing of time and simple, humble affection. These are all universal concepts but can very easily leave me bored if done wrong. Bo En's secret is in the instrumentals. He pumps them up until they're planet-sized, until the lyrics seem bigger than they ever would be otherwise. More harmonies! More wildly clicking 808 rims! Throw in a drop here and there! And this could have been so easily ruined too, but Bo is obviously an accomplished composer alongside everything else. Every groove is tight enough. Every drop explosive enough. The reverb is impeccable. All the chords fit perfectly. The vocals are surprisingly solid. The man knows exactly what he's doing, in the same way Nigel Godrich does, or Brian Wilson did (yes I just drew a comparison to Pet Sounds. Don't act like Bo En isn't on the same level).
That's about all I have to say this time around. Writing about this album is harder than you'd think, because the album's strengths are not in the complexities, but in the pop sensibilites. In less sterile terms, this album just sounds ridiculously good. Just obscenely listenable. What can you even say about that? I'm not going to find the words to describe why Miss You works, or how Winter Valentine actually made me cry last time I listened to it. All I can say is that Bo En killed it in 2013. Thorougly killed it.
On the list I made, this was #5, I think? It should have been #1. You know, I do still like PISS SPEARS, the #1 on that list, but this is worlds more worthy of the #1 spot. Tell you what: I'm not editing that list, for posterity reasons, but Pale Machine is my real favourite album of last year. It may even be classic material, depending on your definition of a classic. I guess we'll see if it's still as good in 5 years' time.
5/5: STRONG RECOMMENDATION