The World Is Still Chaos, But I Feel Better

LOranges 2021 full-length The World Is Still Chaos, But I Feel Better is about dealing with the traumatic state of the planet and coping with the pressures of everyday life. It emphasizes the importance of taking everything one day at a time and celebrating the small victories and the things that go right, reminding the listener that feeling OK, not perfect is a good way to be. The elusive beatmakers production style is typically a bit disjointed and hazy, pulling thick, thumping loops from vintage jazz and soul records that have been gathering dust for ages, so it befits an album that acknowledges the roughness and imperfection of daily life. Slapping, off-time drums collide with diced blues wails, oblong horn squirts, and rumbling pianos, creating an almost mosaic-like assemblage that could be disorienting if you prefer clean sounds and right angles, yet sounds soothing to devotees of cratedigger-style hip-hop production. There arent any verses, but several friends and colleagues stop by with words of affirmation. Kon Sci assures that happiness is the byproduct of a purposeful life on I Dont See You, and Andreea Dinag (one of two narrators, along with Sora the Troll) concludes Coffee by stating that its OK to be proud of yourself for simple things. Solemn Brigham (LOranges partner in the duo Marlowe) contradicts the albums title and states that he doesnt feel better, but even a bump in the road like that seems necessary in order to reinforce the message that life can still be fine even though everything isnt positive all the time. Other soundbites use self-deprecating humor to stress that it can be helpful to laugh at yourself and the absurdity of it all. The record gets trippier and more unsteady during its final stretch, with overlapping beats and blitzed-out samples on tracks like Spin Art and Dreaming, but the effect is thrilling rather than challenging. The album doesnt attempt to ignore the worlds problems or pretend that depression and mental illness arent real; rather, it affirms that everyday struggles are manageable, and there are joyful ways to maintain balance. ~ Paul Simpson