Inkberry – Astrobay 43
Astrobay 43, by inkberry, was released on September 4th, 2021. The album blended a spectacle of genres, though in a substandard way.
The album does a solid job at repulsing the listener by opening with a plain, lifeless vapourwave section; thankfully, drum and bass soon takes precedent on Vaporetto Dreamscape (Italy 1974). While the drum patterns are standard, the ambience is quite admirable. Suffice to say, the percussive elements on Astrobay 43 are the only elements that lack style; everything remaining is surprisingly quite refreshing. Hussar's Diadem, for instance, begins with a beautiful stream of abrasion, only to repeat an obnoxious boring beat for the remaining duration. A song that gets it right is Bay Laurel, with is dazzling spectacle of arps and stunning piano interludes. A song truly above the remaining tracklisting. Celestial Garden Retape is another prime example of a song ruined by its percussion; the interplaying harsh synthetics are simultaneously unforgiving and soulful, yet the beats feel copy pasted throughout with little thought. Had there been more thought to their placement, or perhaps a live percussion, it may have been a phenomenal song. As for the remaining album, there are few standout moments; songs such as Chamber of Acid are messy and undeveloped, with the remaining songs are rather dull and repetitive.
Astrobay 43 is an album filled with many fantastic ideas; if only the compositions were tighter and the drum and bass elements more original. Too many ideas end abruptly, are transitioned awkwardly, or are undeveloped. The album sounds like a loose collection of songs, which are merely a loose collection of ideas, among a loose collection of “free beats.” On the positive side, there are plenty of solid ideas, and the production side of the LP deserves recognition; it’s where most of its credit is derived from. One can only hope the artist progresses beyond the house genre on his next effort.
Average
Listen to it here:
Inkberry – Astrobay 43
