Time

構成数 : 1枚
合計収録時間 : 00:45:14
Left-field pop dynamo Louis Cole has been kicking around the Los Angeles music scene since about the mid-2000s. A singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist especially proficient on drums, Cole attracted an online following with humorous and energetic YouTube uploads, and similarly high-spirited solo and duo recordings with Genevieve Artadi (as Knower). During the latter half of the 2010s, the ground Cole covered was vast to a mystifying extent, including work with Seal and Thundercat, and his and Artadi's "Wait, what?" contribution to the soundtrack for The Lego Ninjago Movie, heard in theaters by floor sweepers and credits viewers. Along the way, Cole picked up admirers including Quincy Jones, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Flying Lotus, the last of whom approached him to add to the Brainfeeder label catalog. Cole answered with Time, his most refined batch of animated pop yet. He triangulates somewhere between Ben Folds and Charlie Puth, albeit with eccentricity to spare and a better feel for the funk than either musician. Another obvious point of reference is labelmate Thundercat, whose Drunk highlights "Bus in These Streets" and "Jameel's Space Ride" were written with Cole. The two artists share a knack for combining ebullient hooks with irreverent humor regarding everyday pitfalls, and even have similarly sweet voices; when Thundercat takes the lead on "Tunnels in the Air," the change is perceptible only to the attentive. A handful of hyperactive and robust numbers are placed throughout, instrumentally worthy of onomatopoeic, fusion-style titles like "Skippedy Blip" and "Bloop de Bloop." "Weird Part of the Night" raves about "between three and six, when no one can fuck your shit." "Real Life" careens along as Cole rattles off real and surreal reasons to be anxious, leaving just enough space for pianist Brad Mehldau to thread a solo. Cole can deliver elegant, heartfelt material with an equal level of skill, as on "Everytime," which might as well be a demo intended for a sad Disney theme sung by Brian McKnight. The seed for "After the Load Is Blown" could have been an impish play on the chorus of Earth, Wind & Fire's "After the Love Has Gone," only Cole offers his own twist on elegant sorrow, exemplifying his sneaky way with stirring emotions. ~ Andy Kellman