Sakoku – Guts
Sakoku is a solo artist from Liverpool, UK. His works blend the realms of emo pop and lofi rock in a sophisticated manner, one that is both elegant and high-spirited. Their sound sounds like cLOUDHEAD, without the cloud-rap aesthetic – right down to the creative stream of consciousness’ and odd vocal deliveries.
The album rarely relies on rap conventions, however, as much of the album boasts an impressive number of acoustic instrumentation and emo-pop approaches to singer-songwriter. Aloha is a cute way to open the album, as is the nonsensical and beautiful strummed follow-up Introductions. Rooibos (feat. ST One) is incredibly charming and disappointingly short. This is a testament to the chaotic and progressive soundscape, though, as Sakoku incorporates an impressive amount of instrumentation into many of his songs. Thankfully the feature, ST One, reappears on the ecstatic Bitter Lover's Letter (feat. ST One). Guts has a really neat progression and an unswervingly vibey atmosphere. Despite getting a bit sloppy in the last third, it flows into Drown quite impressively, a rather disorienting and unapologetic break-up song anthem.
The album is only marred down by an amateurish execution, mostly in the vocal mixing. While the vocals add an undeniable amount of charm to the work, they consistently clash with the remaining elements. It’s an ambitious project that could have benefited from a less lo-fi approach and would have undeniably been more impactful with a more refined production. This complaint is valid to the majority of the album, but especially Suite: Sincerity. Somehow the guitar are always fluently mixed in, but the vocals rarely are. As a result, the album is best for a one-listen experience – it’s catchy enough to immediately charm, but too rough to return to.
Despite its flaws, Sakoku is admirably captivating. The experience may not be smooth, but it’s simultaneously one of the most creative underground record experiences. With a bit of spit and polish, there’s little doubt Sakoku’s next release will blow everyone away.
Good
Listen to it here:
Sakoku – Guts
