Imaginary Everything

Nashville-based multi-talent Namir Blade made his Mello Music Group debut with Aphelions Traveling Circus, a self-produced 2020 full-length filled with introspective narratives that drew from science fiction and Afrofuturism, yet felt remarkably down to earth. His next album was produced entirely by the elusive North Carolina beatmaker known as LOrange, and it feels like a slight change of pace for both artists, but one that entirely connects. While LOrange has been known to craft beats from vintage jazz records in the past, here he goes for more of a psychedelic blues sound, somewhere in between Electric Mud and Hendrix with a sprinkling of Stax, and its both gritty and intoxicating. Blades delivery is more urgent than on his last outing, and his lyrics are more bluntly honest (and sometimes starkly violent, as on the opening title track), but he also mixes fantasy with realism on tracks like the heist scene Corner Store Scandal, or others where he expresses determination to earn millions and win awards. Blades ice-cold yet heavyhearted hooks effortlessly blend with LOranges swirling, swampy rhythms on early standout Nihilism, and the smoked-out production on Murphys Law perfectly matches the dread of Blades lyrics. His verses on the Quelle Chris-featuring Point to Point contain some of his knottiest, most abstract wordplay yet, and its just as deadly as the crime-themed tracks. Near the albums end, he sings about the pain of dealing with a crumbling relationship over lush, weightless guitars on the tender, heartbroken I Can Change. The closing Pipe Dream is more upbeat and optimistic, with Blade at his most confident and Solemn Brigham (LOranges partner in the duo Marlowe) playing a steady support role. ~ Paul Simpson