Sun Araw- Off Duty

Som I might as well do some sort of review now

Artist: Sun Araw
Album: Off Duty
Genre: Psychedelic Rock, Dub, Experimental
Rating: 7/10

On Cameron Stallone's previous LP, On Patrol, the songs sounded, even if it was a very small relation, connected to earth. On this EP, though, the songs become otherworldly. This is the sort of high that Omar Rodriguez-Lopez wants to be on.

The EP starts off in a very... interesting fashion, with the first track, "Last Chants," starting out with two minutes of noise. However, one the actual song kicks in, it gets good. It doesn't take long for the song to set into a groove that displays one of SA's strengths: the ability to makes repetitive rhythms simply mesmerizing. The punctuated, reverbed vocals and added noise effects serve only to make the song better, acting as stabs of emotion that keep the song from sounding too repetitive. As with most Sun Araw songs, the dense layers of sound all melt together in a way that would make the sound lacking if any part was missing. Overall, a great song.

The second song, Midnight Locker, has an incredible sense of wonder to it. It starts with a very subdued (in a relative sense) and peaceful (again, relative) feel. However, as the song begins to take form, it quickly establishes itself as even weirder, with Stallone's volcals sounding genuinly disturbing, and as if he was calling out for help. the multiple crescendos that dissolve spontaneously as they appear also help. With the second half of the song, it takes more of a minimal feel, with the main focus being on the pulsing bass, the almost free-form drums, and they keys, with other instruments and sounds adding terse effects every once in a while. By the end, though, the full out chaotic feeling is back, before dissolving altogether, as if it never existed at all.

In comparison, the third track, Deep Temple, has a very positive feel. This is where Stallone's dub influence becomes obvious, to the point where the song sounds like 51st century reggae. This is another cool song, though at times a bit too repetitive.

Overall, a really cool and trippy EP.