Blissful Wizard

There are some important elements to lo-fi electronica that the Blissful Wizard provides in unlimited supply: shifting melodies and a taste for diversity. Reminiscent of Aphex Twin’s more light-hearted moments, old Money Mark and bizzarro pop-tronica of all brands, the Blissful Wizard’s sophomore EP is a schizophrenic walk through the sunny park of cheerfully bizarre melody. Tracks like the instrumental "Fats Waller” literally twist and swirl with interchanging keyboard layers, like Dick Hyman on sunshine acid. The Wizard’s beats are always being switched up and shook throughout The Return of…, sometimes made by machines, sometimes by live drums, which makes for an incredibly varied and compelling trip that seems blissfully unaware of current trends or fashionable sounds. Instead, the Wiz rests assured in his own world, spinning addictive pop-tronic melodies so casually they feel like second nature. Lovers of ’90s lo-fi and beat-driven pop will eat this plate up cold.