Weekly Review: Against All Logic – 2012 – 2017
this week for the weekly review, we’re checking out 2012 – 2017, a record put out by Nicolás Jaar under the name Against All Logic in 2018, collecting the works he had made during that period.
alright, first on the docket is This Old House Is All I Have. the little horn punches over the heavy and deep tones is neat, and the groovy guitars that come in after are neat. the audio distortion on this track, with those other elements, lends this weird sense of unease, like there’s something coming loose on the edges, and while that fades in and out over the runtime i feel like it’s a really neat effect, especially combined with the way the track uses vocals. neat intro. man i’m always a sucker for smooth transitions, like it does here into I Never Dream. I Never Dream is a really mellow track – again i like the vocal sampling here, and the drums have a fun brush or shaker-like effect, which is neat too. Some Kind of Game has a frenetic energy to it that i enjoy. again, some great usage of vocals here. this one makes you wanna move. this one kinda ebbs and flows for me but i really dig it. really like how the lighter, airier tones in Hopeless dance around while the heavier, longer tones maintain the background of the track for the drums. a very “driving on a moonless night” kinda track. Know You uses the vocal clip most aggressively, and back it with a really funky groove that i absolutely adore. this was a fast fave for me, and def the top track off the record. Such a Bad Way is an extremely nice, mellow follow up. this track hints in a couple places of something a little punchier, which couldve been fun. City Fade feels like a natural continuation, but while its a very pleasant listen i dont find it super engaging. Now U Got Me Hooked also is very nice and mellow – i’m always a sucker for some horns so the hook here does a lot for me, but i think the track falls just shy of being something i love. Flash In the Pan is a good listen, but like Now U Got Me Hooked, it mostly just washes over me and i think “yeah thats good”. You Are Going To Love Me and Scream brings me back around – this one’s got an extremely good sense of melancholy and i enjoy how it feels like it moves through three explorations of its base premise over the course of the track, kind of synthesizing them at the end. neat for sure. Rave on U is an extremely good closer – love the beats set up here, and it explores a lot over its runtime. feels very appropriate to close out this collection.
faves – Some Kind of Game, Know You, You Are Going To Love Me and Scream
dislikes –
yeah i had a really good time with this album. a lot of the hooks are core beats are very catchy and driving, and there’s some really fun layers to explore and take apart mentally. the whole thing is a very very nice listen, and it was very pleasant company over the time i spent with it.
i know this is a collected works record, taking the stuff the artist made over the course of a couple years, but i think they did a great job of sequencing it and setting it up so all these tracks feel cohesive in a way i wasnt expecting. overall, a very nice listen.
2012 – 2017 – 7/10
the winner of this week’s suggestion pool is Cures What Ails Ya, by the Longest Johns. i’ll be back next Friday, May 27th for a review, and in the meantime, let me know what album you’d like me to review! (i pool all suggestions in one place, and draw a person, then a pick from that person, so feel free to drop as many as you’d like! if you leave an email or username i’ll contact you when i’ve gotten through all your suggestions.)
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