For those who have attentively followed the evolution
of Boom Bip’s work over the last couple of years,
Blue Eyed In The Red Room will certainly not
come as a surprise. From his underground production
work to his seminal collaboration with Doseone
on Circle
to his debut solo album, Seed
To Sun, released over two years ago, Boom Bip’s
Bryan Hollon had carefully defined his very own blend
of dreamy hip-hop. But the hip-hop tag was already too
reductive for his work, and the handful of EPs that
followed saw his sonic realm mutate, a process best
documented on Corymb,
the collection of remixes, EPs and Peel Sessions released
last year as a stop-gap for this second album.
During his formative years, while growing up in Cincinnati,
Ohio, young Bryan Hollon was predominantly exposed to
Sonic Youth and Hendrix. Hip-hop was something still
relatively new in the early nineties, and he soon found
himself swapping the classic guitar/bass/drums combination
for turntables and samplers. It wasn’t long before
he started deejaying around town, progressively gaining
recognition for his particular blend of jazz ambiences
and hip-hop beats. This eventually formed the backbone
of his early work, first fully exposed on Circle,
then a couple of years later on his first solo outing,
Seed To Sun.
Leaving behind him the, Boom Bip evolves, on Blue
Eyed In The Red Room, in a very different environment.
If traces of hip-hop influences can still sometimes
be heard, Hollon investigates a far wider spectrum of
sounds and atmospheres here, from the abstract The
Move, a track that evokes a funkier Autechre,
and the moody pop of The Do’s And The Don’ts,
with Super Furry Animals singer Gruff Rhys on vocals,
to the more delicate soundscapes of Dumb Bay
and One Eye Round The Warm Corner or the cinematic
sound of Aplomb.
Unlike its predecessor, Blue Eyed In The Red Room
was conceived with live performance in mind. Here, Hollon
returns to a more organic setting, playing all instruments
himself. Constantly alternating between purely electronic
moments and more mixed ambiences when he openly injects
acoustic and electric instruments, he defines new sonic
territories in which he appears to feel as much at ease
as he was on more restrained grounds. This contributes
in making this record extremely accessible all the way
through. Even at its most abstract, Boom Bip produces
sweeping, evocative, melodies and sonic constructions
that confidently build up on the ground laid on Seed
To Sun. On Blue Eyed…, Boom
Bip constantly surprises, altering the mood at will,
sometimes offering different perspectives in one track.
Although this gives this album incredible diversity
and depth, it could also run the risk of momentary losing
the listener’s attention. Yet, Hollon manages
to keep the interest going pretty much all the way through
thanks to his confidant approach and maturity in his
production.
Blue Eyed In The Red Room sees Boom Bip revealing
far more than he did in previous releases. If his last
two EPs already hinted at a serious evolution in his
sound, this new album goes a lot further, exposing Bryan
Hollon’s production skills in totally new lights.
Some might mourn the lack of clear hip-hop references
here, but the maturity in sound is likely to gain the
man hordes of new fans.
4.4/5 |
