Darnomite & Discourse Junkie - Andaluz

Darnomite & Discourse Junkie

Andaluz
self-released; 2024

​4.0 out of 5

​By ​Dino DiMuro

Darnomite is a vocalist, songwriter, and producer working from Albuquerque, New Mexico. He has quite a few solo albums available on Bandcamp, but this particular release is a collaboration with rapper Discourse Junkie from San Jose, California. Their new album is called Andaluz, and even a cursory listen makes it clear this is a concept album. For those who don’t know, “Andaluz” is a form of the name “Andalusia,” which is a community in Spain.

I played this album “cold” without reading any of the background information. I was intrigued by the song structures, which unexpectedly feature rap sections, unsure if it was the same guy. My overwhelming impression was that the artist was influenced by “Pet Sounds”-era Brian Wilson but blends that atmosphere with current styles and motifs. It also feels very much like a home-recorded project, which warms my heart and is probably the reason this album got assigned to me!

Turns out I wasn’t far off. The promo material states that “Darnomite likes to blend sounds from the 1960s with modern rhythms and instruments.” The collaborators say this was a real passion project, “reflecting our emotions about a changing world and fears of being left behind.” Recording took place at home studios using Logic and a MIDI keyboard. Discourse Junkie wrote and performed his raps in his own home studio and is passionate about “lyricism that challenges listeners to reflect on philosophy.” The project is said to tackle themes of UFOs, AI, and grieving the past. I had to look twice to notice that the colorful cover art shows not just “the shores of Andaluz” but some kind of alien octopus creature hovering above the sea.

“The Shores of Andaluz” appropriately begins with rolling ocean waves, under which a peppy synth concoction slowly surfaces. This is the song on which the cover is based, weaving a tale about a UAP (unidentified aerial phenomenon) that parks itself near the shore and inspires tourists and pilgrims to visit. Musically, it’s mostly keyboard (sounding like synths and a harpsichord), bass, and digital drums. Darnomite does an interesting thing with the tempo, slowing down and then speeding back up during certain verses and the chorus. It’s subtle enough that I thought I might have been imagining these changes, but they are there! The stereo mix fills up a bit as the song continues, adding bongo-like percussion and even spacier keyboards. At the 2:40 mark, there’s a definite melodic similarity to Brian Wilson’s SMiLE.

“Trust/The Threat” has a cool psychedelic John Lennon vibe (crossed with Pet Sounds), which then goes into a rather inscrutable story read by rapper Discourse Junkie. Story-songs are fun (The Velvet Underground's “The Gift” is a famous example), but for me, they don’t have the staying power of traditional songs. “My Garden” has an interesting opening melody played by a slightly detuned keyboard patch. This track features some of Darnomite’s most intimate and heartfelt vocals thus far. Story-wise, it seems the narrator very much enjoys spending his days in his sunny garden (sounds good to me!) but is taunted in his dreams by the UAP from track one. Fittingly, this song is followed by “Andaluz (Instrumental),” which uses the lack of vocals as an opportunity to explore some lovely, otherworldly themes and complex melodies with some amazing stereo mixing.

“Black Box” is a true vocal collaboration between the two artists, with Discourse Junkie’s raps being complimented by Darnomite’s chorus vocals. This track takes the melodic and mixing complexity of the Andaluz instrumental and combines it with vocals, and sounds truly amazing on headphones. Without casting aspersions, there are parts of this song that recall the pop sound of Gilbert O’Sullivan, and toward the end, I’m once again feeling that Brian Wilson vibe. “Just a Vision” is a more baroque-sounding track that again features call-and-response vocals between the two collaborators. They actually sing together at one point! Lyrically, for me, this reads like a heartbroken callout to someone the narrator lost to death, but with hopes to someday reunite. And at the very end, Andaluz itself is given a sad but certain farewell.

​This is an album that began “okay” for me but slowly grew in stature, maybe because the best tracks seem to pop up after the first third. I’ve enjoyed it a few times now and highly recommend it!

darnomite.bandcamp.com/album/andaluz

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