Sean Sharp's Diary

Not sure why they landed on calling this "California Calling" as there isn't much of anything that sounds like California's ambiance. It does have some good rich synths throughout but I wouldn't call this too much of an upgrade of their last team up project, "Flashback Fm" back in 2021. While the production in good, this could have been made by Mome back in 2016 when he released "Panorama". I would also say that his more interesting work still remains on that record. This serves more as a synth-pop background for Ricky Ducati to lounge around on. Not sure I'm really a fan of that set up either. Ricky's voice isn't always bad but you can tell sometimes it's like he's a dog toy getting chewed on. The air is being forced out of his lungs at points and it's a bit rough around the edges. There are definitely highlights though. "Do You Know Me" is a softer song on here that is a bit more fleshed out and as a result makes it a more engaging and interesting listen. "In Your Arms" almost sticks the landing with a very catchy chorus but Ricky might have been trying to do a little to much on it. That's TBD on my end though. Then the best piece on here is "Don't Forget Yourself". The most California sounding, however still nothing close to justifying the name of the album, it blends in some guitar backing to make for a more upbeat experience where a lot of these feel like a drive at night on a highway in a city. The melody on the chorus is perfect and the production goes hand in hand with Ricky's voice. Definitely the best song these two have collaborated on. Mome's 5 year gaps between releases doesn't give me much hope for the future considering he doesn't really seem to improving or evolving that much as an artist but he does have his occasional highlights.

First time ever listening to Beach Weather. Immediate comparison is a more upbeat Lord Huron, which I think has its place. This style of music sometimes doesn't grip me from one song to the next, which isn't any fault of Beach Weather's. However, I liked a few songs on here, such as "High or Low Places" & "Hottest Summer on Record." Not too much to say otherwise. I'm sure this band will be around for a while, just based on how bands in this genre have historically developed a slow-burning fan base. It'll be interesting to see what they do next.

Brent returns with a more minimalistic, synth heavy outing. "WASTELAND" has surely broken my expectations with him as some of my favorite modern R&B production is on there. This time around, the same level is there but that minimalistic difference leaves some of the space feeling a bit bare and empty. "have to." is the move full song in that sense while a lot of these other ones are just a tad too slow. "four seasons." is the only other that comes close to what I really love from him but it isn't at that same level. "butterflies." also has some some gorgeous synths at the end of the song that make me wish more of it had it. Overall, I don't have a lot to say about this. Minimalistic in it's style leaves me with not too much to talk about.

Listen 1: Equivalent of throwing paint on a wall. Cool but debatable on if it's good, lucky, or just bad. Wide range of features makes it feel very full, like the lo mein I had a few days ago. Listen 2: Wtf is NOLA. Sounds like absolute garbage until JPEG shows up and tears it up. Bizarre how someone's voice and flow can completely make or break a track. That beat should just be for JPEG and be on a solo project of his. No one else on it should make a peep. Credit where credit's due to the album cover as well. Sums up the how the music sounds quite sufficiently. 1 Week Later: It sounds colorful and sometimes the colors don't mix well. It's fun and wacky and quirky and that's all great but it just doesn't always land the punch. Some flows are just aimless while others grip you before you see it coming. I'm sure the length of the project has something to do with this as well. There's a fair amount of it, that's not filler, but just experimenting. That is always commendable. Experimenting is going to produce some lackluster results but also put out defining art styles. This landed somewhere in the middle. Nothing outright atrocious (other than some of NOLA) but nothing really pushed a boundary that I would consider new. It's diet experimentation.

Listen 1: Beautiful voice. Some parts become very repetitive. He was going for a certain style for sure and he nailed it. It may just not vary enough. TOO consistent one could say. Listen 2: This has the bones of a great album but still kinda ugly on the outside if you get what I mean. Not saying it's bad, don't get me wrong. Has redeeming qualities like TWENTIES and MUD but you could pick 1 or 2 songs and say you've pretty much heard the whole thing. 1 Week Later: TWENTIES is by far and away the best track. This overall works great as a project but for individual songs to listen to, doesn't have a ton or replay-ability. I hope this man finds some more ways to mix this classy, pinky lifted, type sound while making it a bit more addicting. Once he's done that, he will have struck gold.

Listen 1: I have never really gotten into this sound all together but I think this EP does weave together an almost watered down version of it. I don't mean this in a bad way either. It bridges the gap between standard R&B/Pop with some Afrobeats which for me is the kind of music that needs to exist if I will ever fully appreciate genres like Afrobeat or Reggae. I'm sure they are fantastic genres in their own rights, but just like how many of the people on this website or other critic oriented websites look at EDM, it will take more than just a simple run through of Afrobeat's' greatest hits for me to appreciate the genre as a whole. Listen 2: This does have some fun bounce to it but is held a bit short due to it's repetitiveness. Contrary to the first listen as well, I think the boiled down version of mixing this with more mainstream pop does take some of the flavor away. It's a bit of a double standard considering what I previously said, but it's a tough line to walk so sue me for feeling split. 1 Week Later: Truthfully, I will likely forget about this by the years end and will only be reminded when I'm scrolling through all the different things I listened to. The beat for Mr. Media is excellent but unfortunately the melodic element is quite lacking for it to have any sort of long term replayability.

Listen 1: Very soft and soothing album. I think everything on here is a real recorded instrument which he has slowly been shifting towards over the last several years. I like to refer to music like this as sunflower pop. It feels like a beam of light is shining down on you. The danger of sunflower pop, which is relevant to this album, is becoming too stagnant or boring. It's about doing a lot with a little. In the same way Yeezus is a minimalist album for electronic music, "LOOK! I'm Alive" is a minimalist album for pop heads. The quality comparatively is up to debate, don't get me wrong but the simple movement through instruments makes this easy to listen to. Especially as background music, which has it's place. The only slight to this record is "Kissed The Sun". Only song on here that made me want to skip. Listen 2: My second listen just solidified my already existing thoughts. This album is all face value and there's nothing wrong with that. The simple melodies and chill production are just that but they fit what's needed. 1 Week Later: I will almost always listen to his new music but I know deep down I will never like his newest stuff more than his earlier work. He's simply a nostalgia artist for me. I'm sure he will have a song here and there that I really like but overall, unless something changes drastically, I don't see his music style being something that I'm head over heels for. This album is decent listen front to back and definitely delivers on what it's trying to get across but I'm not ready for that message.