[365 Albums: 9/365] Nightmares on Wax - Shape The Future

in #music7 years ago

"They're almost like a modern take on a past idea of a future sound..."

Nightmares on Wax - Shape The Future


Label: Warp Records
Release Date: January 26th, 2018
Track Count: 12 (including bonus track)
Run Time: 57 minutes

Shape The Future.jpg

Overview


It's nice to see a new Nightmares on Wax album surface at the start of 2018. It's been 4 years since we were last treated to a full length album his soulful blend of Trip Hop, Dub and Jazz, with 2014's N.O.W Is The Time and it's a welcome addition to this month's playlist. It's nice to hear some (new) old-school Trip Hop sounds again.

Shape The Future has a really good mix of styles and sounds. From Soul, to dub/reggae, to swing/jazz, Hip Hop/Trip Hop. There are some really good cinematic moments and a really nice balance between "organic" and electronic beats. There are some proper chilled out moments, an I love the vintage, analogue sound throughout most of the album. The collaborations peppering it are fantastic, some great choices that really compliment the album and N.O.W's sound.

However, I did get the sense that most of the tracks rely too heavily on core loops and repetition and don't have enough variation; which I know is a feature of this style of music, but it's also a pet-peave for me. It works really well and is used to great effect on some tracks (as you'll see later), but falls flat on others, making you zone out a bit and lose interest, which is a shame I think.

Today's Gems


Follow this month's playlist here

  1. Shape The Future
  2. On It Maestro
  3. Typical (Jordan Rakei)
  4. Citizen Kane (Mozez)

1. Shape The Future

  • It's the title track, so obviously we're hoping for something special.
  • Really nice cinematic intro with the piano and strings.
  • I like the swing style drum sample mixed with the "4 to the floor" beat.
  • Really nice bass tones.
  • I like the Spooky synth (theramin? ...maybe?) sounds and interesting synth hooks. They're almost like a modern take on a past idea of a future sound.
  • Interesting pan and FX automation.
  • Repetition is used really effectively here. I like how there's little real variation, but variety and interest is achieved by adding new elements in each new section. I feel like this is the aim in most of the other tracks, but it was really well pulled off here.

2. On It Maestro

  • Cool side-chaining/dipping effects.
  • Love the high register piano tones.
  • The syncopation in the beat is really cool.
  • Really interesting harmonic movement.
  • The seemingly random synthy moments are really nice.
  • Jazz influence is really laid back and fits perfectly.

3. Typical (Jordan Rakei)

  • Really nice bluesy/soul vibe.
  • Beautiful Harmonies.
  • Such a cool vintage analogue sound, really into this.
  • String section makes it feel like proper vintage 60s/70s soul.
  • Another really nice piano line.
  • Nice sax line low in the mix, wish there was more of this. Would've loved some more throaty Baritone Sax as a proper feature.
  • The guitar loop is really cool.

4. Citizen Kane (Mozez)

  • Smoooooooth!
  • Love the stops and the way the beat seems to skip.
  • The bass is super smooth but manages to also seem gritty.
  • Nice use of strings again.
  • I'd put this on par with Anderson .Paak (I LOVE Anderson .Paak!)
  • Proper bluesy harmonies. Really cool.
  • I chose this instead of the "Rap Version" (Bonus Track) because I don't feel like it added anything particularly earth shattering to the original. What it did add felt unneccessary and detracted from what was already a really well crafted track.

Conclusion


This is a solid album with some really smooth, tasty moments. But I think it relies too much on repetition, and there were a couple of tracks that I felt weren't really going anywhere and probably would've worked better as a short interlude, rather than a 4 minute track. It just made them feel too much like filler and not something that was serving any real purpose to the rest of the album.

Would I recommend it? I don't think I've listened to an album I wouldn't recommend yet, so far this year. So yes, I would, but I don't think this is going to be the best album I listen to this year. Having said that, I do I think it's good and I'll definitely be giving it another go, particularly the gems that I'll be putting in the playlist on Spotify.


What do you think? Are you a Nightmares on Wax fan? Have you given this album a listen? Do you have any recommendations of what I should be listening to? Let me know in the comments below.

Last month's playlist can be found here

Sort:  

You just got a vote from Sndbox-Alpha! For more information, click here

thanks for the post. I really don't listen to that, but it was interesting

I'm glad you found it interesting @tatianavishny. There's more to come, soon. It's fun to listen to new music as much as possible, so if you do have time, give the album a listen and see if you agree with what I said.

Do you have anything you're listening to at the moment that you think I should try out? I'd love to know what music you're into! :)

@fireandspice ,You always come in new steem and especially after your follow-up began to benefit from you and the publications you publish I hope to complete this road

Hi @Jasmina, glad you're liking the posts. Keep an eye out for more. I want to become a lot more active and regular in my posting to Steemit.

I hope you're well and you are having a nice day! :)