Charlottesville, Virginia native Nathan Broaddus, performing under the moniker “Evenings,” is one of the many trying to pursue projects which dabble with the possibilities of electronic music. Where he succeeds is where others try and fall short. His “North Dorm” EP, although not a full-length album, exhibits Broaddus’ full musical prowess and his strong desire to creatively advance ambient and electronic music.
Unexpected heavier beats (which have an almost hip-hop quality to them) accompanied with supple tones and whispered vocal samples mixed in with samples of sounds found in nature distinguish his music from other run-of-the-mill ambient acts whose sound gets soft, repetitive, and boring—fast. Most ambient music serves as a mood piece; mere sounds to fill up the space between walls or the air next to your ears. Rather than utilizing sounds that will eventually tire and stagnate, Broaddus brings simple beats to life by carefully paying attention to each quality and arranging them in such a perfect manner that one cannot get tired of hearing them. He also avoids falling into the trap of producing overly digitized sounds and maintains an earthy ambience throughout the whole EP.
The first track, “Still Young” lets listeners know immediately that they are listening to something new and unconventional, as their ears are met with strong yet not overpowering drum beats paired together with electronic beats and the eventual “chorus” of repetitive guitar strumming. “Babe” and “Favorite Maze” are the more mellow tracks which echo the style of the first, followed by my personal favorite “Friend [Lover].” “Goodbye Forever” is an appropriate way to the end the album, which eventually fades away and ends with a chorus of crickets.
Relaxing yet stimulating, the best time to listen to Evenings is, in fact, evenings. Take a listen after a long day of work or school; you will be lulled either into a deep meditation or be provided with a soundtrack for productivity.
I think that "Where he succeeds is where others try and fall short" may be a bit too bold of a statement.
ReplyDeleteWonderfully descriptive, makes me want to seek this out and listen to it ASAP. The first sentence seems a little wishy-washy about the abilities of the artist in comparison to the rest of the review. Words like "trying" "dabble" and "possibilities" all in one sentence made me think the review would lean towards the idea that this guy doesn't really know what he's doing, which isn't the case.
ReplyDeleteNice vocabulary, and the recommendation for 'when' to enjoy the album at the end was great. Instead of saying which ones your favorite (getting rid of that first person), tell why this song is the stand out hit.
ReplyDeleteThis review is well thought out and structured really well. I really enjoy how it ends with "Relaxing yet stimulating, the best time to listen to Evenings is, in fact, evenings. Take a listen after a long day of work or school; you will be lulled either into a deep meditation or be provided with a soundtrack for productivity." It makes me want to go home and listen to the album.
ReplyDeletevery strong review. Good song description. Being a fan of hip hop like beats my self, it kept me interested.
ReplyDelete"although not a full-length album, exhibits Broaddus’ full musical prowess and his strong desire to creatively advance ambient and electronic music." Well written.
ReplyDeleteIf you don't listen to Boards of Canada already, you need to drop this album and listen to them as soon as possible. If you like the ambient thing without beats, check out Stars of the Lid.
"Relaxing yet Stimulating"
ReplyDeleteperfect way to describe an album like this, was their nothing you found wrong with the album, no tracks that were just filler or anything like as is the case with a lot of the atmospheric ambient music.