Station44 – 44
It’s a wonder why people bother making vapourwave anymore. Perhaps, like with other trash imitators, an individual comes across a niche sound from a forgettable time period and thinks that by copying it he/she can revive it. Unfortunately, vapourwave is generally a trash, soulless genre, and every imitation of it since has been a stark reminder of why it died so quickly.
It’s not all bad, though; The Way You Feel is a glorious surprise. While the amalgamation of instrumentation is not incredibly unique, it’s well implemented. The result sounds like a mix of Justin Timberlake’s 20/20 experience and Macintosh Plus’ ludicrous soundscapes. While some of the low-pitched modulations and typical slowed-down vapourwave melodies are out of place in the mix, the gentle intricacies that shine in the background certainly give plenty for the attentive ear. The limitations of the genre are strictest on fall in luv, a laughable track that does a great disservice to the tracks it manipulates. Lastly, while Wisteria is quite simple instrumentally, the closing vocals are quite lovely.
The album shits the bed completely beyond the interlude mid-way. Take Good Care steals from James Blake’s Unluck so adamantly, it’s a wonder why station44 didn’t name the track after the original song. Furthermore, prior to this song, the album was average, though at this point in the track listing it takes a massive nosedive. It’s one thing to steal another artist’s work and slow it down to your own artistic credit… but to outright steal it? It’s difficult to talk about the last two songs because, despite being unfamiliar with their origins, its apparent they were copied straight into a DAW and pissed all over with little effort.
Steal44 doesn’t deserve an outro to his review. To this day, Vapourwave has hardly produced anything of value, because very little of it is innovative. Bands like 2814 easily come out on top, because their music sound distinct and memorable. Everything else is hot garbage, and despite how curious you may be, if you see a vapourwave tag as the primary genre on Bandcamp, avoid it at all costs.
Bad
Listen to it here:
Station44 – 44
