Andrew Hughes is a young musician from Muncie, Indiana who released Andrew's Demo Tape. The album is a collection of lo-fi songs that have a typical bedroom recorded on a laptop type feel. It's hard to categorize the album because the songs don't have too much in common. This group of songs felt like a loose collection of ideas rather than an artist creating a foundation.
“No Sleep On Christmas Morning” does sound lush and slowly moves along with a bass, atmospheric elements and more. It is quite enjoyable and unexpectedly dynamic at times. Up next is “Énouement” which sounded like it could have been a Fleet Foxes B-side. The vocals are covered in reverb and revolve around a couple of other elements with acoustic guitar being the main instrument. The song is short to a point where I wanted a couple of other changes. “Lafayette Acoustic” also felt Fleet Foxes inspired but plays more into the fantasy angle that conjure images of a fair maiden and castles. “Freezing Spring” changes direction into an experimental jazzy type of arena. “Question Mark Rock” is arguably the highlight. It’s a constant change of instrumentation and elements in what I might call a prog rock fashion. “Retroreflector” sounds like an airy, atmosphere pop song that really isn't much more than a couple of major and minor chords. “Untitled” is electronic and synth sounding so much so it reminded me of Aphex Twin. “You Later” sounds deflated and somewhere between sloppy and loose while “Later Still” is yet another deviation in style and aesthetics. “The Magical Solution To Life's Unpleasantries” is a spliced up collage of strings. One of the things I know I appreciate about when I first got involved with production and studio work was the limited tools you had available. In the ‘90s there weren’t a thousand options of virtual instruments of effects you could apply. If you did want an effect you would have to work for it. This is something I often see with artists like Hughes is that they don’t seem to restrict their palette of sounds, tones, textures and instrumentation. This can often result in a very piecemeal sounding release where the artist isn't able to create a signature sound. My point being Hughes has talent and skill in multiple areas but the next step would be for him to start to think about how his songs on a release could create cohesion that creates a artistic vision that seamlessly connects the dots. Whether it’s Untrue by Burial, Sun Giant by Fleet Foxes or the many other releases, they are able to create a deepening world that starts to encompass the listener. Overall, this is a solid demo. Hughes has his head in the right place and has skills as a songwriter and producer. I look forward to his next step.
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