Dominico Collora - Juicy Color Words
Dominico Collora is an avant-garde producer from Hachioji, Japan. Despite being from Asia, his work is presented in English. Most certainly overlooked on 4chan’s shill threads, his work is magical and certainly deserving of much more attention.
The First Second is a twisted, whimsical, serene opening into a luscious album. The instrumentation is progressive, the frequencies are delightful, and the unfolding of layers are magical. The track is an introspection of time and the manifestation of being present; an ideological stunning statement on the music that ensues. A Block that Counts Counterclockwise is a fragmented, distorted mess in the most incoherently pleasurable way. This is the sort of music the Soft Machine would make if they stopped caring what people would think; playfully blending early Pink Floyd and The Pop Group in an interesting manner. Snow Angel begins in an opera fashion while slowly transcending into the canals of avant-garde, though sadly feels like it’s missing a climax. 3D Printing a Tree is a fascinating narrative detour down the valley of uncanny; constantly evolving and evoking feelings of dementia and lustrous wonder. As always, the instrumentation is lush and the vocal samples round the track off well. E-motion is a childlike and entertaining instrumental filler oozing with personality. Dealer Dave boasts some impressive dynamics, shifting between a varied set of quotes and poems, never taking itself seriously and being thoroughly entertaining. The introduction of electronically modified wind instruments and finger-drum-tapping perfectly complement the chilled-out vibe and political undertones on Gale 1-18-2020. The track is followed by the candid, quirky and imaginative Guessing Game, accompanied by the lustrous harmonica and perfectly strummed serenade. The progression of the track naturally evolves to a stunning conclusion. The Meat Flower continues the trend of E-motion with its wonderful, strange and somewhat demented instrumental vibe.
The second half of the album begins with A Butterfly Paradox; a twisted masterpiece, voraciously spiralling out of control and further embracing its weirdness. Amidst its intriguing poem are constantly shifting and frenzied frequencies; never a dull moment and never a moment lazily repeated. Big Sea Shanty continues the trend of poem-led instrumentation and shanty theatrical pieces, heavenly bells and expressive vocal harmonies. Lazuli is bizarre; there’s truly no words to describe it. The vocal presence is stark and gorgeous. The use of space is extravagant and pretty - though much could be said about most of the album. The rollercoaster of dissonance picks up momentum over Relative to the Sun and Kathmandu, with the latter providing some stunning piano requiems. The album at this point is somewhat overly demented, yet simultaneously charming. These two songs would have benefited from a little less vocal presence - the instrumentations are key to these pieces, especially the latter. The Search for Perfect Condo is a rather whimsical, cute ending to the album; along with Kathmandu, these pieces are a stunning conclusion to the album.
Each song is unique, every instrumentation distinct and each idea clearly defined: Juicy Color Words is fantastic. The album art is exceptional and perfectly encapsulates the ideas present. It’s astounding to think something so unique, austere and passionate could be so severely under-looked on these boards. The album is not without one major flaw however; the amateurish and glaringly inconsistent mixing. At times the tracks are too muddy and messy, while at other moments it’s difficult to distinguish what’s going on. It can often be a little jarring, though it doesn’t detract too much from the overall aesthetics of the album. Furthermore, at times it’s masterfully done. If one can overlook the rough outline, they’ll discover a beautiful uncut gem in the centre of it.
Really Good
Give him a listen here:
Dominico Collora - Juicy Color Words
