Four years on from the release of Antenna and LA’s Solider Rye delivers an album of almighty presence and purposeful, conceptual design.
Superb production really lights up this project from the start. Raise the volume and this funk-kissed arena of electronic ambiance and rhythm and melody takes hold with ease.
Cinema is the opener, soulful yet unreal, otherworldly in topic and design, loaded with layers of synths and voice alongside a relentless groove for a truly colourful and immersive progression. Already the album title Plot Twist falls into mind, in both the creativity and the theme of the song.
In many ways this project is the movie fan’s dedication to the art form. In many others, it’s an ode to metaphor and the depths of the human experience.
The title-track Plot Twist redirects things with a mildly euphoric rising synth-scape and poetically provocative, imagery-laden lyrics that feel both personal and relatable. There’s an indie-esque realness to the voice here, to the melody and tone, which moves this track over towards alternative music for an effective pathway into the core values of the album.
We then get a haunting fragment of ambiance and a bass-heavy beat with distant vocal expressions in the form of Catalyst, dark and intriguing, genre-free, somewhat hip hop-like but also tipping its hat towards the trip hop albums of the nineties and early noughties. The hook, however, brightens things up in its own artistically unexpected, wonderfully satisfying way.
Lyrically there are some real gems scattered throughout this album. The production and composition often takes the reigns before this, but the more closely you listen, the longer you stay for, the more you notice.
With Suspense, the darkness and engulfing production takes a front seat, representing the title well and ultimately intriguing with tribal rhythms and personal contemplations united. The beat and the sound stand tall amidst these outpourings of uncertainty and panic.
Quietly musing and scene-setting is Haunted House, a moment of pause half-way in, before the upbeat embrace of It Is What It Is makes for a clear melodic highlight of lasting, memorable weight; with a rap feature from Steve_Eazle for additional dynamic at just the right time.
The tripped rhythm and sound-play of Psychosomatic follows well, more creatively uninhibited, original production, and an accompanying conceptual commitment to escapism.
U Do U blends delicacy and depth of consideration for an almost Bowie-like soundscape and a revealing hit of storytelling, with a strong hook resolve and a lovely dash of sax. The nostalgic, yesteryear qualities also ring loud throughout an increasingly addictive Dream Walking.
As if arrangement hadn’t been carefully incorporated as a key factor of Plot Twist, the acoustic finger-picking and folk melody of Cliffhanger brings things to a brilliantly poignant finish. Solider Rye seals the deal as a creative producer more than worth taking the time out to experience. Each track is boldly unique yet effective, a dream to lose yourself within, and the completed collection is cleverly interesting, and helps reignite our love for the art of the album.
Check out Soldier Rye on Facebook & Instagram or visit his Website.
