A Vast And Addictive Album from Acchordio
A fresh album release from Acchordio manages to pull together some of the best elements of an ambient electronic set of tones that breed atmospheric soundscapes, lush R&B approaches, and a lot of messaging that is embedded into the songs, so you end up connecting with a lot of them in different ways.
The self-titled Acchordio album is riddled with experimental synths and keys, along with smooth, silky vocals that, at times, are used almost like instruments themselves, adding layers of texture and depth to a lot of the already expansive sounds that you're hearing.
The record starts off of the track called "Safe", which already opens the door to the rest of the record perfectly. The song features some gorgeous synth pads that float through the song's ether and start giving you that distance to feeling.
The overall tonality and soundscape of this record is one that can easily engulf you. It is so simple to get swallowed up by this record. The sounds of it all surround you, and you're able to sort of swim through those, but the lyrics send those messages.
This first track is a great example of some of the more experimental aspects of the record as well.
Having said all that, I wouldn't suggest just listening to one or two tracks from this album. Listening to a few songs from the record will not give you anywhere near the full spectrum of what the whole album offers.
There is some brilliant production and more than a few surprises around its corners that bend genres and take you on journeys.
"Nightlife" is one of my favorites and a great example of how the artist is able to take elements of jazz, R&B, soul, and pop and bring those together to create something unique. This track also boasts a bit of a vintage tone at times that sort of beckons '80s and early '90s songwriting and sounds as well.
It is here where you start to hear some of the many influences that Acchordio encompasses.
"Music Box" is a brilliant piece that features classic music box bells, outstanding bass lines and tones, along with melodies that stick with you for hours or even days after the song has ended.
There is a lot of that flowing throughout the veins of this record. There are tons of songs that boast melodies and lines that stick in your head and sort of have you humming them over and over.
The only way to satiate that is to go and listen to those songs again.
Listening to the album from start to finish gives you a brilliant experience. It is like an escape. There's something almost fantastical about it all.
The album holds you away from wherever you are or whatever you're doing and puts you in this entirely different world for a chunk of time, and that, to me, is a gift.
Tracks like "Robot" come through with a bit of cinematic backbone, string sections, and robust vocals that give off certain levels of intensity throughout it.
There are a lot of different elements to this record that wrap themselves around you and keep you right where they want to. The vocal approach to some of these tracks is certainly one of them.
The singing is intense, very smooth, has a lot of soul, and just grabs you.
Some songs are a little bit more straight up with a lot more R&B infused, while others are more experimental, almost electronic, ambient, and vast.
Either way, you're getting something that has color to it. This is a flavorful record with beautiful layers of texture and tone laced throughout it.
This release is so sonically different. It shimmers and flows.
This is one of the things that keeps you so engaged and makes it feel like you have stepped into a different world half the time.
Again, I do thoroughly enjoy when the vocals are used almost like instruments themselves, who's definitely happens more than a few times throughout this record.
Now, the album is technically 13 songs in length, but after that 13th track, you start getting some great remixes of a few of the songs.
The remixes showcase different approaches to production and how a song can be changed to have a different vibe or aesthetic, while still holding on to the original idea.
I think I enjoyed some of the remixes just as much or even more than the originals at certain times.
This was most certainly an album that was created with far fewer boundaries than what you may be used to, and that, in itself, is one of the most enticing aspects of it all.
So, take a deep dive into this wonderfully woven, full-length album as soon as you can, and do it with headphones on because it's one of the best ways to take all those layers in.
Check this out now so you can see exactly what I'm talking about.
