Background
There's a lot of controversy surrounding raybaboon. Two years ago, he put up a couple of tracks on SoundCloud. A year later, he released more tracks, which were compiled into "raybaboon," his self-titled album. After that, nothing; he hasn't been heard from in over a year. The controversy surrounding raybaboon doesn't come from this, however. People believe that raybaboon is Joji, an affectionate name for George Miller, the mind behind the insanely popular shock humour YouTube channel "Filthy Frank," which, among other things, started the Harlem Shake craze. There's no proof, so anyone claiming one side or the other is just rumor, but, regardless, "raybaboon" is a fantastic album.
Review
Listen to "raybaboon"
It doesn't matter who's behind the album; raybaboon's self-titled release is a perfectly crafted blend of electronic and indie melodies perfect for a rainy day. Generally speaking, each half of the album falls into either dominantly indie or electronic. "Everything Falls Apart," "Landing On Mars," and "Picture Frames," the latter of which is my personal favorite off the album, generally are more electronic in sound, while "The Wind," "Where Did I Go," and "Our Love Remains," are very indie and bordering acoustic. Of course, they'd just be pretty instrumentals without raybaboon's voice. His lyrical composition is one of the best things about this album. Each work is more than just a love song; it's a romantic poem. "Deep sleep aviations, in conversations with constellations / Midnight trepidations, the detonations of self-deprecation," from "Picture Frames," is a fantastic way of wording what otherwise could have been very simple, but raybaboon has turned a sentence into a work of art. His ability to weave words into works of art is noted all across "raybaboon." Naturally, the electronic pieces aren't exactly EDM, but are much more relaxed and could almost be entirely acoustic. "Everything Falls Apart" is a slow ballad with reversed piano and a wobbly sub bass. "Landing on Mars" gets almost future-y with its lo-fi beat and brassy synth chords. "Picture Frames" is a slow ballad that has camera sounds accenting the chill, vaporwave drums and beat. Everything about "Picture Frames" is brilliant, from the relaxed, reflective feel to the chorus that pulls at the heartstrings. The indie half is equally good. "The Wind" is a nice indie track with a driving, almost funky bass and crisp drums. "Where Did I Go" explores nostalgic feelings and is the most upbeat track on the album, in terms of consistent drums and a standard song structure. The chorus is busy, but very catchy and unique in its inclusion of mallet percussion. "Our Love Remains" is purely acoustic, and closes out the album with beautiful harmonies atop a simple, repetitive acoustic guitar riff.
It's hard to put "raybaboon" into words perfectly. Nothing can really describe the art that raybaboon has crafted with his self-titled release. I've been listening to it almost non-stop since I found it the other day, and it never fails to inspire melancholic feelings within me. It's a perfect rainy day album and a true piece of art. I hope that raybaboon reemerges from his period of inactivity and releases new content soon, but until then, I'm more than satisfied with "raybaboon." 9.5/10
Acoustic
Picture Frames [Acoustic]
In addition to the original, raybaboon also released an acoustic version of "Picture Frames." It's longer, at 6 minutes, slower, but that doesn't stop it from being incredible. The tight, dissonant chords are much more noticeable in the more prominent guitar line, and the voice and guitar duo is much more personal and intimate, and adds another layer to the already emotional track. The acoustic version is absolutely stunning.
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