Ras Xix - "Self-titled" Album Review
OVERALL RATING: 8.5 - Great STANDOUT TRACK: Weightless With You RELEASE DATE: April 2014 In A SENTENCE: Ras Xix's self-titled full length album is filled with heavy jams and undercut by surprisingly reflective tunes perfect for the summer.
Ras Xix's self-titled full length album is an exercise in versatility. Hailing from Los Angeles and Singapore, Xix has been traveling the globe to satiate his evident desire to create engaging and eclectic music, as well as reach a broader audience to share his passions with. With a voice that's reminiscent of past punk-rock greats, such as At the Drive-In and The Mars Volta's Cedric Bixler-Zavala, Xix croons and shrieks his way through this project in equal bursts of energy. "Weightless With You" starts the album off in fantastic ballad fashion, introducing us to Xix's reverberating yet understated vocals. The instrumentation carries the drive of a standard rock affair but effortlessly blends electronic elements in the negative space. Rather than build on the first tracks somber yet energetic flair, "Nora 5" immediately showcases this record's versatility with an acoustic number. "Eclipse the sun, and taste the night, as you dance across the sky," Xix ruminates, carrying you through the blissful harmony of the song. But before long, and never missing a beat, "Over" and "Consent" batter the listener with post-rock, post-hardcore build ups and breakdowns - intense yet never crass or overextended. The album works well in this area of build ups and releases, with smooth, melodic lulls in between the louder, bolder, peaks. Powerful in its patience and control, the self-titled album is never overreaching or haphazard. The genre shifts or melding of different influences such as with "Las Arenas de Cartagena," are always tasteful and purposeful, and Xix's admittedly infectious harmonizing helps tie the entire project together where a lesser artist may have allowed it to falter. The infusion of genres spanning electronic, post-rock, punk, acoustic, and war Xix himself describes as "world beats," serve as an alluring backdrop to even the most secondary tracks (such as the electronic breakdowns on the backend of "New Religion," or the fleeting acoustic nature of "If It's Gone"). Ras Xix sense of control and quality taste in harmonies can be found even as the 45 minute album draws to a close, as he allows the final track, "Machine" to whistle and bounce somberly into the light. The album is a feel good experience, fit for a fun summer but still accompanied with a meaningful vision thanks to Xix.
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Narsimha Chintaluri is a primarily a creative writer, focused on prose and poetry, but is also an avid fan of film and music. @Narshh on Twitter
