Connor Leary - The Death of Quicksand Man

The Death of Quicksand Man, released June 19th, 2020, has been consistently shilled on 4chan since its release. The album is a true delight; a rare pop album which is a captivating as it is unoriginal.

The album opens with the Beatles-inspired The Quicksand Man: Part 1, which sounds more like a Zappa parody, whether intentional or not. The Quicksand Man: Part 2, towards the end of the album, is far superior and thoroughly enjoyable as it incorporates more rock elements. The Beatles influence returns on many songs, such as Overflow and Change Like People Change. Highlights on the album include My Own and The Lies We Tell Ourselves. My Own is a kinks rip-off with some cheesy-yet-enjoyable light synths, whereas The Lies We Tell Ourselves is a bittersweet Randy Newman-inspired piece.

The downside to the pop elements is the constant recycling of ideas from previous generations; the “sha-la-las” on Everybody's Gone to China and the bland Beach Boys deliveries on That Sinking Feeling are unoriginal and uncreative. There are a couple of dull moments throughout the album, too, such as the previously mentioned That Sinking Feeling and The Howl that Lay the Canyon Bare, a dull Bruce Springfield knockoff with Randy Newman vocals. Additionally, some songs are hindered by cheesy choruses, such as the otherwise charming Becoming Cosmopolitan, with its progressive suite and delightful strings. Thankfully, to balance them out are plenty of genuinely sweet moments, such as the Dylan-inspired boogie section on What the Winners Do and the neat little nylon freestyle section amidst the poppy beat on The Lonely One.

Don’t get me wrong; the album is disgustingly poppy, though it’s bittersweet and quite impressive for a solo effort. The Death of Quicksand Man is an inspired work full of soul and heart - bedroom pop at its finest. Sadly, it’s inspired by a very narrow range of influences. At least its varied enough on its own to warrant attention. Here’s hoping the artist takes more risks on his next release; perhaps then the shill community will pay more attention to him.

Good

Listen to it here:

https://connorleary.bandcamp.com/album/the-death-of-quicksand-man

Connor Leary - The Death of Quicksand Man