2020-09-30 Malo

I "randomly" (probably actually selected by my Google AI overlords) found this guy on Google Mu-- er, I mean, YouTube Music, of course.

The one track in my playlist was impressive enough that I immediately went looking for more. Happily, it was there to be found and I listened to the "Old Soul" EP at excessive volume at the first opportunity. I found it to be deeply moving and full of interesting details. It was to my ears like a complex painting and, just like finding a new, intriguing detail just over here in the corner, it did not allow my audio cortex to get bored. Electronic music is all repetition, sure, and you will find Malo returning to theme throughout his tracks, but the ebb and flow of the moving layers of sound are simply wonderful.

Here on Suffermore, what I presume to be the sophomore effort, Malo departs from form a bit and employs the occasional tried-but-true and still somehow not tired EDM trope such as drums increasing speed to the edge of the drop. As there was no hint of this on the earlier EP, I was surprised to hear it here. Honestly, it upset me a little. My initial reaction was, "Come on, you're better than this." That's a bit snooty, I know, but it was my first impression.

You might notice on the Soundcloud play counts that one track is slightly more popular than the rest... by about 4x!

Don't let that fool you, everything here is wonderful. The final track is maybe not my favorite but the way it makes my mind trip on the cracked pavement of sound is uncomfortable but not unpleasant. It's a nice close to an altogether pleasant experience.