Spokane native and self-taught musician, Derek Finley, under the project name Toasted Locust, has been making solo music for the past decade. Only since 2020 has he been actively releasing new music. Polar Chavez is his debut and he used Bandlabs almost entirely for the recording, mixing and mastering. The twelve-song album is an experimental electronica/lo-fi hip-hop recording, that borrows from a very diverse set of influences ranging from Boards of Canada and CAN to MF Doom and RZA. Finley recorded over 50 tracks, of which 12 would go on the album, from the period of September 2020 until August 2021. The songs are mostly collections of glitchy hooks and loops and samples that he made edits to in real time, as he played them next to each other. Finley states that these “loops” and “trippy hooks” underscore the human need for the small nuances in our daily cycles.
“Whirlyblurd” starts things off with a flurry of gadgetry type sounds – whirls, blips, buzzes and knocks and then a catchy fuzz guitar riff with even fuzzier, distorted electronic beats towards the song’s end. Very well done and very imaginative! “Saltese Moonwhale” features a more structured, steady beat with heavy bass lines, a distorted keyboard melody and another layer of melody of piano on top. There is also plenty of more bells, whistles and loops which by then, you’ll hear more piano, hand claps effects. This one has a haunting sound. Dang – I’m really liking this stuff! “Ajax Leopard” begins with an electronic beat, crisp and wispy. Added vocal narratives get mixed in intermittently with additional synth sounds, loops, scratches and heavier bass keyboard parts. The electronic distorted vocal parts are kind of creepy, but good. Next is “Dvorak” and the variety of sounds, most of which are chill and muted, bring to my mind slow moving clouds or imagining myself floating in outer space. For me, this one is ambient and sci-fi. “All Ache” brings to the album a funky, deep bass structure with trippy guitar playing, coupled with synth effects, blips and twists and what sounds like some horn section. This one enfolds quite well and takes you on a journey of many textured sounds. “Viscose Voyage” is one of the songs I enjoyed the most. There is something tender and magical about this one, I can’t quite put into words. It’s as if Toasted Locust is telling a timeless story through the instruments and effects he plays. Maybe that, or it was simply the melody. A very enjoyable song! “Grapeish” has a fresh, contemporary style – I’d say more on the side of synth pop but mixed with his brand of electronic trips and loops. Moving onto to one of the artist’s longer tracks is “Lightsicles” – a song layered with heavier and louder synth sounds, echoing drumbeats and extra percussion and more imaginative sound effects. I liked how this one gradually fades out in the end. “Kettle Commons” is the shortest track on the entire album and this one takes on a free form style, very trippy and experimental, but it also has a backbeat that forms the song’s main rhythm. “Lumens” weaves in and out with a bouncy, waving synth/piano duo, layered underneath a thick bass loop, two or three ticking drum tracks and other echoing trip-hop stuff. Finley changes things up by adding a different beat, or beats, what sounds like a kettle drum and a funky, jazz piano solo. This catchier, faster rhythm goes on, but then ends abruptly. I could have listened to this one a bit longer – it’s a fun number! “Cobalt Cactus” features a string intro, lively guitar chords, a stand-up bass and a funky jazz drum beat. An electric guitar comes in a bit later with a lead riff, more strings join in, some hand claps and a tambourine. This is perhaps Finley’s least tripped out or experimental number. It takes on a more conventional verse/chorus/verse structure with the guitar lead repeating the song’s main melody. Toasted Locust’s last track is “Neon Beak” – this one gets intense. Very trippy, electronic and danceable. There are parts where the artist leaves room for even more experimentation about mid-way. I also think the song’s beginning has a beat like something from a mid-’90s rave tune. Overall, I felt this was Finley’s most innovative. All things considered, Polar Chavez didn’t leave me cold and wanting. In fact, it’s exciting not knowing what to expect with these more experimental albums that are filled with distorted loops, trippy lo-fi hooks and edgy electronic sounds. If this kind of music is your thing, you won’t be disappointed.
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