The further you get into playing Visions of Grandeur, the more that D Down bursts your bubbles of expectation. Demons, which kicks things off, might seem like another R&B/rap fusion, ticking along on trap-infused beats and indeed, to some degree, it is. Such urban sonics do run through the heart of the album, but to write this off as more of the same would be to underestimate this artist.
It quickly becomes evident that there are many other forces at work here, evolving the sound from this initial musical base line. Sometimes, these forces warp expectations by taking what is essentially the sonic descendant of those early hip-hop pioneers and changing the rules. Other times, they move far beyond such demarcations and embrace whole other genres altogether.
Even if things start off without too many major surprises, songs that are original and intriguing, sure, but ones made to a somewhat familiar form, by the time you get to California, the fourth track on the album, you find yourself immersed in a sound that almost feels more akin to the nineties, nu-metal experience than what has gone before. It is then that you realise there is no point holding on to preconceived ideas or expectations of what Visions of Grandeur is about; it is better to free your mind and see what musical delights it brings.
If Rain Drops is a modern-day ballad forged of digital dexterity and electronic excellence, Die Young throws a curve ball and comes on like one of the most of-the-moment indie anthems, something that feels like a chart hit, a festival favourite, and a mainstream radio playlist heavy rotator.
Fake Friends is a sophisticated neo-soul torch song, Serenity is a spacious, futuristic R&B groover, and Share It All rounds things off with a visit to a sort of alt-pop, slow-dance world.
If you want to understand where music is at today, especially that made in the independent and underground sectors, that is, those not controlled by the big record labels, Visions of Grandeur will tell you a lot. It will tell you that no template is being followed and no rules exist to bind music makers. This is a post-genre world, and today’s songwriters fully embrace it. Influences, inspiration and infusions are gathered where ever they can be found and that can only be good for music.
With the old tribal allegiances gone and no one threatening to drop you if you don’t come up with the next hit single, artists are free to wander the musical landscape as they see fit, pushing boundaries and hopping genres at will. As D Down proves, sometimes you do this from album to album; sometimes, this eclecticism is apparent from one track to the next, and sometimes, as here, it can even manifest itself within the same track.
Music is getting interesting again.