Something about Aura Zorba's latest album Silver Dye really tickled my fancy. The first thing that struck me about this album is that the artist, Tyler Grates, describes themselves as a "Detroit artist based in Portland, Oregon. These are two very different environments in terms of...everything. Weather, region, economic status, music scene, to strong musical communities housed in one artist immediately had me curious. Somehow, this fascinating musical Grates has cultivated seems to reflect these opposing scenes so perfectly. Leave your expectations at the door. You are in Aura Zorba's house now and there will be none of that.
Where to begin? I mean seriously, what do we have here?! It's a little poppy, a little rocky, a little trippy - all I know is it's fabulous. It's fuzzy, gritty, dangerous, bizarre. I could whip out these adjectives all day but the truth is it's easier than trying to jam this album into one genre hole. Honestly I think trying to do so would do the music and the artist a disservice. I'd say its soul rests in the electronic arena, but that's not to say there isn't a beating heart here. There is a worldly vein that pumps warmth throughout the album. Songs like "Who You Were" will help explain this point. So beyond the wonderful trickery that is the music, there is the vocal work and words. It is here that Grates shines with his talent. Sometimes the vocals are shrouded in mystery and effects. Other times you get full bodied performances where they hit those notes so dreamily. As I progressed further into the album I became wildly entertained by not knowing which tactic was going to applied. Their patterns are often so unpredictable and even coy; it came off very playful and fun. In terms of production it is hard to determine what the goals were, and I think that might be part of the point. Overall I had nothing to complain about. There were a few effects here or there that rubbed me the wrong way, but nothing that was ever deal-breaking. Track four, one of my favorites on the album, is a strong example of the solid mixing and mastering instincts applied on this album. There's a lot of ideas here. They are painting with lots of colors, and yet, via production methods, cohesion was carved into everything. As I have backed away from trying to determine genre placement for Aura Zorba, the same goes for who their audience is. This album may come off as niche, but I believe it had the capability to cast a wide net. This album is a genuine thinker. It took me out of myself and my comfort zone. Listening to it in its entirety is something I highly recommend; you'll go on a proper journey. I'll say if you feel like you've heard everything, and there are times as a music critic I have, this might be the pallet cleanser. Again, this album is so free of expectations that I found it above everything else to be liberating and who couldn’t use a dose of liberation?
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