In a new album release from V.J. Retro, the songwriter and producer delivers an array of cinematic and wonderfully woven tracks that each take you in a different direction but do so with the sense of nostalgia lurking in the background and with a lot of character and persona to really keep you engaged.
The It Stars From Somewhere album is packed with these different approaches to emotional drive and undertone and the songs do feel like they come from a breeding of influences but no matter what, you know that this record has meaning behind it.
It's very rare that you hear a release that's full-length like this one and consists of these different arrays of beats and tones, textures, and emotions that all come together and build a kind of atmosphere that you can be whisked into at any given time.
You can definitely tell that this artist has an absolute love for his craft and pays a lot of attention to the details when building his beats and putting together his arrangements, but each song still has this certain level of heart to it that lets you get attached.
I think the reason that it's a little bit nostalgic at times for me is not only the beats and soundscape of certain tracks but he's able to delve into these areas musically that feel like they could have been soundtrack to certain chapters in your own life and so you begin to take things personally.
There's also this amazing blend of hip-hop and pop elements of this vintage set of tones that are used here and there but everything is so connected to the point where it almost feels like this is a concept record of sorts.
You get such a lush and alluring array of sounds throughout this record and one of my absolute favorite things about it is that for me, it was a complete escape.
If you pop on headphones and listen to this album from beginning to end you will definitely forget about your surroundings for that given time and be in a different world for a little while.
This is something I absolutely value in music no matter what the genre and I haven't heard it in some time so when I was able to really get engulfed by this record it was very relieving and refreshing for me.
I would love to be a fly on the wall during the creation of this record just to see how he does his thing.
There are a lot of songs that have layers to them and there are plenty of surprises around some of the corners of this record, but I definitely do think that even though there are plenty of songs that would serve great as singles, this is meant to be soaked in as a full record.
I know what you're thinking, who's got the time for that right?
The answer is, we all do. Listen to this record in the car on the way home from work or late at night with a pair of headphones on.
Either way you should definitely be listening to this in full because the record deserves that kind of attention.
This record had some depth to it and felt good to listen to.
Do yourself a favor and pop this on when you get a chance, you won't be disappointed.