Mac DeMarco is one of the best singers in the biz, so his recent focus on instrumental music has been a little frustrating. Just listen to his falsetto on this "Simply Paradise" — he's got the voice of a goddamn angel, so why not flaunt it?
Still, it's about time his excellent 2015 instrumental album Some Other Ones got a proper release. Recorded around the same time as that year's Another One, its nine songs were recorded in just five days, and it captures the last moment when he still favoured wobbly-sounding tape machines prior to going digital and cleaning up his sound on 2017's This Old Dog.
The soundscapes centre on woozy slide guitar, which has the playfully peaceful, woozy quality of a video game soundtrack — a similarity that becomes particularly apparent on the keyboard breaks of the cheerful "Young Coconut," "Fish Terry" and "Hoso Boyo," which were practically made to accompany collecting power-ups in a side-scrolling platform game.
As the 199 demos on his collection One Wayne G prove, DeMarco can toss off a chill instrumental jam in his sleep — and Some Other Ones reveals that talent in its finest form. It's too low-key to get really excited about, but it's a wonderfully peaceful little world unto its own.
(Captured Tracks)Still, it's about time his excellent 2015 instrumental album Some Other Ones got a proper release. Recorded around the same time as that year's Another One, its nine songs were recorded in just five days, and it captures the last moment when he still favoured wobbly-sounding tape machines prior to going digital and cleaning up his sound on 2017's This Old Dog.
The soundscapes centre on woozy slide guitar, which has the playfully peaceful, woozy quality of a video game soundtrack — a similarity that becomes particularly apparent on the keyboard breaks of the cheerful "Young Coconut," "Fish Terry" and "Hoso Boyo," which were practically made to accompany collecting power-ups in a side-scrolling platform game.
As the 199 demos on his collection One Wayne G prove, DeMarco can toss off a chill instrumental jam in his sleep — and Some Other Ones reveals that talent in its finest form. It's too low-key to get really excited about, but it's a wonderfully peaceful little world unto its own.
