WILLIAM SANFORD - Boomer Vibe "Sessions" - ALBUM REVIEW

WILLIAM SANFORD

Boomer Vibe "Sessions"

Crown Point, United States

Credit - Emilija Mitchell

Who's ready to listen to a swirl of cinematic meets ambient super creations? That's right, William Sandford is back with his latest album 'Boomer Vibe "Sessions". The project consists of 10 tracks that combine to make just under 40 minutes of pure imagination!

When discussing the concept behind the album Sandford stated that "Boomer Vibe "Sessions" is a re-imagining and celebration of psychedelia expressed in a plethora of musical forms. We find ourselves situated in front of a certain “Mr. Gramophone” whom leads us on a trippy adventure in sound and history. A journey “unstuck” in time."

So, let's get into the nitty-gritty and psychedelic trippy that is 'Boomer Vibe "Sessions"'

'Florals With Mr. Gramophone' opens the project with a distorted telephone conversation before transitioning into a super cool production that embeds listeners and itself into synth bass, string VSTs and a whole load of confusion. The journey that this track takes listeners on is one of cultural exploration and space invasion! What an opening this is!

"Space Race" takes listeners into a twee-infused vast open space that is guaranteed to have everybody lost within the realm of space. The piece marks a collaboration between Sanford and Jilly Narayan both of whom have contributed their own unique twists to this production. I love the combination of speech and experimentalism found within the first two opening productions - they have truly worked coherently to portray the art and nature of space travel.

"Pluto Will Always Be a Planet in a Boomer's Heart" moves away from an experimental techno influence and into the realm of jazz through the use of saucy key synths and basslines I love the way that this piece offers such a contrast to what has been heard before on the album. The cultural string synths come in to mark a familiarity along with the astronaut speech here to continue the overall concept of the album.

"Hey Mister, Would You Go Bop?" does what it states in its title! Repeating the title through robotic autotuned vocals brings a little psychedelia into the vocal performance as it rests on a bed of boom-bap drum loops. I love the way that this album seems to transcend the borders of genres in a way that seems seamless! Genius!

"Boomer's Got A Gramophone" continues to impress with its robotic vocals but this time with a latin twist! A bit of Reggaton anybody? Well join in with me and get dancing along to this amazing production by William Sandford.

Mixing techno with reggaeton is a combination that we don't hear often enough, but this track takes it one step further in completely transitioning genres towards the end of the track! This has got to be my favourite track this week! - TAMARA JENNA

'Chicago Memories on the L' completely takes listeners away as it marks a transcendence into Country, Folk and Blues with a medieval twist! I have never heard so many genres within one album before from one artist - this is one hell of a genius! I love the way that the work moves between influences flawlessly, as though they are gliding through space! One thing remains clear throughout, and that is that the project is about space and experimentalism. Name a better album to come through to us this week? because I can't.

'Flapperjacks' is a track that screams of the fairground! Candyfloss anybody? I wonder how we'd be able to keep it on the stick whilst up in space? Well, let's just fly anyway! Enjoy the ride! There's a certain distant resemblance to Calvin Harris - Feels ft. Pharrell Williams, Katy Perry & Big Sean in how the beat rides the production. Another amazing piece!

'We May Be Old, But Our Brains Still Dance' is the ultimate trip around the 80s! Nostalgic, full of energy as funk infused guitar strums creep in the background behind the drum loops and string synths! I love the way that the tempo changes throughout, it resembles a trip around Space Mountain!

'Ghosts Be Vibin'' is a universe within its own universe. There are so, many life forms living within the synths! I think I might have just flew past an alien! From the heavy basslines that border on 808s to the scratiness of the techno melodies and the sprinkles of hauntedness I think I just discovered a whole new planet! (The one that inhabits the ghosts of the future).

Concluding 'Boomer Vibe "Sessions"' is a piece that absolutely leaves you under no illusion that William Sanford is a being like no other! 'Nag Champa' is the title of this finalising production. Now, what does Nag Champa mean? It's a brand of indian inscence that is knows for enhancing spiritual relaxation and aura cleansing. There could be no better name for this composition than that! As listeners take in the aura of the piece, they find themselves on a journey through guided mediation, Eastern Asian string synths and bubble of hypnotic techno. In a mix of virtual reality and the present moment, this whole production is one that I'm going listen to every night this week!

Now for the sad part! The end is here - We have been taken on a journey and a half through generations, genres and universes and somewhere between the living and the dead through this album! I have never heard anything like this project before!