The Double Doghouse

this week for the weekly review, we’re checking out Polychromatic Compiler, from 2015, by VAPERROR. let’s dig in!

neat little Introduction here, like a sci-fi computer start up. the proper opener, Ultrafunk Fantasy, is excellent. absolutely fantastic song, phenomenal groove to it. CD64 is a mellower track – neat little synth stabs on this song. Cleanser is a very funny song – love the tracking sounds “undoing” the previous track, haha. Grump Club has a really fun optimistic vibe to the melody – big fan here too. love the drum machine in Loveher4years, and i love the “launch into the air” feeling when it cuts out and leaves the melody floating in the bridge. Golf has a neat way of creating a really steady, slow build to it that maintains the forward momentum over the whole track. Aquarium, suitably, feels like being underwater, haha. the way the drum machine is used in Flows reminds me of another track, but i cannot for the life of me remember what my brain is trying to think of when i hear it. maybe i’ll remember some day. the Juke Rework of CD64 does some fun stuff with the sounds. Fyup’s fine. not a huge fan of the back half of the track but it’s not a huge deal. the Intermission makes me laugh every time – funny hearing intermission music that’s distinct as that, with the snare drum kicking around in the back, but it still kinda fits with the tracks around it? strangely, New Moves feels the most to me like an N64 game off this record. fun song. Liquid Driver’s neat. Freq feels like a kind of “reset” as we enter the final stretch of tracks. 0 is a nice, spacey, extremely mellow song. definitely appreciate Freq as a space between tracks like New Moves and Liquid Driver, haha. Promicro is also nice. feels a bit more “traditionally” vaporwavey. 1 fully takes advantage of the vibes set up by 0 and Promicro – really exploring that emptier, quieter space. neat track but definitely not one of my faves here. Static Distance, the longest track and our closer, kinda rounds out this album-closing-atmospheric vibe out to a nice tonal cloud of sound. definitely a neat way to close the loop and bring the record to a close.

faves – Ultrafunk Fantasy, Grump Club, Golf
dislikes –

really really dug this record. lotta short tracks that get in, explore the sound they want, and don’t overstay their welcome – i always respect that in a record, haha. plus the record’s got a pretty good sense of humor, which helps a lot. i don’t have too much more to say here, other than that i kept losing myself in the record again when i sat down to record my thoughts. it just has a good way of getting you into the flow! i found the grooves sublime and the melodies fun and boppy, and i’m def gonna enjoy more time with this record soon.

Polychromatic Compiler – 8/10

next week, i’ll be back again checking out Bottomless Pit, by Death Grips. i’ll be back next Friday, June 2nd with that review and to pick another weekly record, and in the meantime, let me know what album you’d like me to review! (i pool all suggestions in one place, and draw a person, then one pick from that person, so feel free to drop as many as you’d like! if you leave an email or username i’ll contact you when i’ve gotten through all your suggestions.)