Brad Walrond is following a great tradition here. The idea of lyrics as poetry (or perhaps in this case, poetry as lyrics) put to beat and groove is something that the likes of Gil Scott-Heron and Benjamin Zephaniah brought to the masses with eloquence and excellence. Alien Day fits right into the same musical landscape and does so with ease.
Like those two great artists, Brad has something to say. In fact, he has plenty to say, and his focus has always been on creating pieces that elucidates themes as broad and poignant as human consciousness, virtual futures, race, gender, sex, and desire. To say that Alien Day is a concept album might be to tag it with a label that conjures images of seventies rock band excess, but this is undoubtedly an album built of concepts.
Those concepts come together to create an undeniable message: that black history, black art, and black desires can never be eradicated, that they are as rich and established, influential, and important as any culture in the modern world, perhaps more so than many.
The music that carries this message includes everything from rock to rap, seventies funk to modern neo-soul, alternative urban pop to hip-hop, it is full of genre fusion and invention, melody and muscle, groove and grace. But the lyrics are, perhaps not surprisingly, the focal point, and Alien Day comes on like an alternative history lesson, one that incorporates social commentary and politics, spirituality, and a real sense of cultural identity.
I spend my day writing about rock and pop tunes, but Alien Day is much more than that; it is the sound of the balance being redressed and done so in the most creative and accessible way imaginable.
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