Little League Rebellion - Unsent Letters

​Little League Rebellion

Unsent Letters
​self-released; 2023

3.9 out of 5

By My Nguyen
​

Little League Rebellion is led by Ruaraidh Wishart, who hails from Scotland. Growing up in Scotland, he had a classical musical education, then went to cut his teeth playing and writing in alternative and prog metal bands. He later formed Little League Rebellion, a solo project that explores “music by combining genres and themes of the past and present with electronics and recorders in unique unusual ways.”

Wishart’s style is rather dark on Unsent Letters and you can see his past influences in his current sound. Running through his sound is a metal/hard rock vibe. He oftentimes starts out with a softer, spoken word sound, then the music grows suddenly more aggressive with louder acoustics. This loud-soft dynamic made for an interesting listen.

Unsent Letters open up with “The Collection,” where some spiraling guitars sound out at the start of this track. Next, Wishart’s spoken word-like vocals enter the vibes. His vocals sound like a mantra as a bed of electronic beats and guitar riffs surround the sounds. There was an otherworldly vibe to the music. Eventually, it becomes even heavier as the electronica gets louder. Suddenly, Wishart sings with a metal/hard rock vibe. Some ominous beats start out “The Centre Of It All.” As the synths and beats sizzle in, Wishart’s vocals erupt with a more melodic sound. He sings with feeling throughout. His vocals are half-spoken word and half-sung. Some synths and electronic riffs sound out on “Communion.” Slowly, the sounds grow on you. A tribal drumming beat courses through this recording. Through this beat comes Wishart’s mantra-like vocals. The music is very visceral. There was something very innate about Wishart’s sound that makes it sound like something directly linked to humanity’s past. 

Percolating beats enter the sounds on “Prayer.” Gradually, some electronic riffs light up the sounds. Here, Wishart’s vocals are touched with auto-tunes. The robotic vocals went on to enhance the music. There was a hushed sensibility to this song that gave off an expectant vibe. I thought this was another interesting track from the artist. More synths arrive at the start of “After The Fall.” Next, some keys enter for a dynamic sound. I was reminded of a lullaby. Once Wishart’s vocals come in, this clinches it. I was reminded of a Tim Burton film. Gradually, the noise level of the synths increase and the lullaby instances are dashed. There’s more of a heavy metal/hard rock sound on this recording. There’s another loud/soft dynamic that I found captivating. Some scintillating synths flit in and out of “Not Anymore.” The beats are equally exciting. The sound grows in momentum. Wishart’s vocals are gritty and filled with power. I felt overwhelmed by the dark energy of this track. It definitely felt ominous.

On “The Answer,” some moody synths come into this recording. The atmospheric sounds continue once Wishart’s vocals come in. His spoken word-like singing becomes a part of the ambience. I enjoyed how ethereal and airy the sounds were. The sound of the recorder was a nice change of pace from the usual fare. On “The Promise,” the sound of bird chirping arrives. Next, the recorder comes through for a searing sound. I liked the contrast between recorder and spoken word vocals. I enjoyed how simply but emotionally resonating the music was. Some electronic riffs and synths light up the sounds on “We Took No Joy In Flowers.” On this closer, Wishart’s vocals sound slightly robotic, but it seems to work here. I enjoyed the melody of this song and thought this was an intriguing way for the artist to end the album.

​I enjoyed Wishart’s musical style and thought the theme of this album which explores memory and time is truly intriguing. A lot of times his music reminded me of Depeche Mode and other experimental artists. This was a compelling release and I look forward to seeing more from him soon!

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