Let’s get the ball rolling and establish the fact that Mikey Maramag (Blackbird Blackbird) is in that district niche of artists who aspire to reach a peerless standard while refraining from genre confinements when they begin composing a piece of music. We’ve already underlined the California-based artist’s album-titled tease, and now we have the privilege to stroll through the boundless project itself, as BB has just dropped his highly anticipated eleven-piece album, Tangerine Sky. The opening track on the project left us in a daze, especially due to the pure and painless swaying from genre to genre, gently stirred together by an assortment of filters that bend, crush and enhance the sounds and synths flawlessly. "Love Unlimited", the second piece, begins with captivated panning of an elementary sample that bursts into an acoustic drop and synth that's nothing short of timeless. Blackbird then dives in with a stellar verse, which fabricates the ideal indie-elctro vibe. The third track doesn’t squander a second, as a couple of foot taps count in a warm, galactic drop; and a creamy synth sets an exemplary stage for Mikey’s voice. “Feel It In My Bones" makes for quite a euphoric piece as the prodigy’s piercing vocals take your breath away, and it's one that'll have you snapping to the beat. "Darlin Dear" is the amiable title of track four, which is evocative in every way you can imagine with a vintage disco-synth playing a different role to its true self, complementing the heartfelt, uplifting vocals of Maramag. And just when you think you’ve got a drift of where exactly this album is headed (based upon the effort and the one's before it), "There is Nowhere's" first chord perforates deliciously through. The chillest of vibes are then sent forth on the track, with employment of those treasured hats, subtle cuts, and resounding drums that set yet another podium for Mikey to plunge in with an enthralling falsetto verse. “Treehouse" emerges afterwards, and brings with it playfulness from the get-go. The subtle surfacing of scrapes and spacey synths make way for a spontaneous yet stupendous emergence of resonant keys, and they accompany the echoing choir-like vocals to pitch-perfection. Mikey breaks sonic fences yet again here, leaving us in continual awe and eagerly awaiting the succeeding pieces. A couple nestlings kick off the seventh piece appropriately, and with an addicting stick, definitive toms, and a white-noise-heavy synth, “Summer’s Almost Here” starts off like it was destined to. This track forms anything but a slowdown, as an assemblage of percussion plunge their way in while an occasional, eerie vocal slice finds its way through with a few unconventional sounds. “Polaris" follows, and with it, a slight trap influence that matures atop another collection of galactic synths. Chimes, shakers, echoed vocal slices, mesmerizing hi-hat rolls, you name it, this piece is truly from another sphere. "Rare Candy" picks up where we left off at about the forth track, as Mikey introduces some upbeat drums, dreamy lo-fi synths, and a vocal delivery that is rather unrivaled. This track keeps it’s starry-eyed mood throughout, and the clever bass inclusions and plucky strings induce an atmosphere that we cherish here at HD. Ultimately, chillwave finds its way back on the sonic penultimate with “Beasts”, an effort that starts strong with those high-pitched cuts we can’t get enough of, another unique synth, and hi-hat rolls that would leave a ton of beatmakers envious. The vocal slice steals the show in this effort, but that’s far from what defines it, particularly due to the heavenly breaks and the crispy white-noise backdrop it's positioned alongside. The concluding track, “Grow Old With Me (Don’t Let Me Go)”, could be a reference, but let’s not ponder over that idea (even though the piece is itself quite profound in its message). Hearty vocals with a slightly doleful tone give this piece its own character, and with the inclusion of the crystal-clear shaker and some outstanding work on the guitar, the effort is a rather heartwarming end to an impeccable piece of art. We hope we've convinced you at this point in the write-up to give Tangerine Sky a look and listen, and if that's the case, stream our favorite cuts below, it all on SoundCloud, and, if you're feeling sure of the sound, you can pre-order Tangerine Sky now via iTunes.
Blackbird Blackbird