Adrian Russouw aka Belview is a young musician from Kelowna, British Columbia. When I say young I mean he is only sixteen years old. Russouw is displaying a tremendous amount of potential well beyond his age on his EP Cariboo. Cariboo showcases minimal instrumentation with artistic flirtation. It's by no means a straightforward album. The album is also dipped in a lot of melancholy and existential questions. I have to admit that I was thinking he was a little young to be digging that deep into questions that never get answers no matter how old you are.
After a short intro of noise he goes into “Wave Song” which I thought was the highlight of the album. It reminded me of early Animal Collective. He softly picks a repetitive melody but what really shines here are his vocals. The melodies are really well done and he fits in a lot of emotion between the notes. “Exposition” is less a song and more of an art piece and transitions into “Words” which was an off-filter song that combines warm distortion, simple melodies and his fragile vocals. It works surprisingly well and I thought the unorthodox vocal delivery fit the song. “Lavender” was a pleasant track but it felt a just a little long winded. It has jazzy overtones with ambient hums. Up next is “Someplace” which is arguably the most dismal sounding song. He whispers and laments “I need something to hold me down.” He pulls it off. The centerpiece is the eight-minute “I Hope They Hear Me/In Red” which is the most ambitious piece. It made me think of some of the more experimental work from The Microphones. I starting writing music about the same age as Russouw is now and that was twenty years ago. There is no doubt in my mind that if Rossouw continues to write his best work is yet to come. With how much raw talent he displays here I have little doubt that his future work will be incredible. Overall, this is a very solid lo-fi album. There are some notable songs with just enough artistic sensibility that the songs don't come off as pretentious. There is a lot to appreciate here. Recommended.
2 Comments
Richard Russouw
12/27/2017 05:32:47 pm
What a talent
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Ruth Lockwood
12/28/2017 09:44:30 am
Great start to sharing your passion of music with others with this album! Creative expression and movement captivates the listeners' ear.....Look forward to hearing your future works as you progress in your music training, creativity, maturity and talent!
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