Daniel Sweat
Features Editor
I’ve been a fan of Shlohmo for a while. When I first heard Bad Vibes, I fell in love. The album’s cinematic feel and lush composition make it top tier in my book. I’ve listened to that album hundreds of times, so when Shlohmo dropped Bad Vibes: Rarities + Extras to celebrate the fifth anniversary of Bad Vibes’ release, I was thrilled.
Bad Vibes: Rarities + Extras features a collection of songs that were cut from the initial release of Bad Vibes, as well as remixes of “Seriously” and “Anywhere But Here.” While it’s understandable that the songs on Rarities + Extras had to be cut, as they don’t fit well into the emotional arc of Bad Vibes, their tone and aesthetic fits right in with Shlohmo’s usually layered and multi-faceted production.
Though Shlohmo’s Bad Vibes style is still very much apparent on tracks like “11_7_11 Alone With Me,” his experience from other projects shines through as well. The remix of “Seriously” is notably much grittier and more abrasive than the 2011 version, perhaps taking influence from Dark Red. Some listeners might even find the first half of Rarities and Extras closer to the haphazard sound on Fine, Thanks than to the well-orchestrated atmosphere of Bad Vibes. Regardless of where Rarities + Extras fits within his oeuvre, it’s obvious Shlohmo is willing to experiment while staying connected to the style that first caught critics’ eyes.
Your typical Shlohmo track begins simply, with a string melody or basic keyboard riff. However, his songs grow in complexity as he adds more and more elements to create interesting pieces that become greater than the sums of their parts. Instrumentation comes and goes as the tone of the song shifts. Perhaps the song begins with a light-hearted jingle on the keyboard and ends with a thrumming bass groove. Songs like “11_9_10 Asleep On The 22” feel delicately composed and almost fragile, for you get to hear how all their cogs work together. The sounds he chooses to include and the way he conveys an emotion through their interaction create a haunting atmosphere in which you can’t help but lose yourself.
While his music firmly situates itself in whatever genre the kids are calling Flying Lotus and xxyyxx these days, the personal and kind of homegrown aspect of Shlohmo’s style sets him apart from other producers. You’ll notice slight imperfections in the recording, such as static in the background or the sound of rain outside on “Back House.” However, Shlohmo uses these imperfections to enhance the mood of his songs, creating a sense of space and texture. This lack of sterility in Shlohmo’s music makes you feel more connected to the process of its composition. It’s like you can almost see and hear him making the song in front of you.
It’s often hard to pin down exactly what’s making the music in his songs. Frequently, he’ll feature his own voice distorted to the point where you can’t make out the words and can barely be sure it’s actually a voice. And while he sometimes uses standard drum samples, a lot of the time Shlohmo will use non-traditional means of percussion. In “1_16_11 Downtown,” he finds a way to use the sound of something brushing over a microphone as the backdrop for his songs. Throughout Rarities + Extras, Shlohmo finds a way to juggle both unorthodox percussion and hard-hitting synths. The result is an album that’s both sonically interesting and just plain nice to listen to.
If you liked Bad Vibes or are just looking for something groovy to listen to on a rainy day, you’ll love Bad Vibes: Rarities + Extras. For fans of Shlohmo, it offers a peak behind the curtain of his development as an artist. For those unfamiliar with his work, it offers a nice introduction alongside Bad Vibes itself. Top tracks include the following: “Forgot I Was Here,” “Seriously (Live)” and “11_7_11 Alone With Me.”