WHITE CROWS review - Quid pro crow

(Reviewed by Melody Werner)
White Crows is a 2018 album by synth artist, Meteor. It is titled after Para||el Lives' breakout track. I've gone on the record before as saying that Para||el Lives is one of my favorite albums and that White Crows was a standout among a pristine crop of songs, so this album naturally had my interest--but also had high expectations from me. While I wouldn't say that this album is as special to me personally as PL, it has grown on me since I initially listened to it and it's since won me over completely. This is yet another top-notch record from one of today's most overlooked talents.


White Crows once more brings a unique blend of rocking guitars and tranquil synths that made songs like "Djynth" such delights. And while Para||el Lives was more rock heavy, White Crows more often follows in the steps of its zenlike namesake. Sure, there are bangers among this tracklist: "Overload," (which took some getting used to, but is a funky and throbbing highlight), "Fugitive," and "Fallen." But some of the album's loftiest moments lie in tracks such as "When the Moon Rises," "Silent Streets," and "Lust." These are serene, meditative tracks which Meteor has mastered and deliver on all of the radiant sonority one should expect from a successor to the brilliant 2016 piece. Maybe I'm being a tad highfalutin here, but I'm just so in love with this album and want to sell it as hard as I can. None of this is to say that this record is simply 50 minutes of more of the same; Meteor expands his sound while keeping it recognizable. I would never mistake this for Volkor X, Hollywood Burns, Wolf and Raven, etc..

There is a minor hitch in terms of some repetition--I'm not sure if I could listen to this nonstop like I can PL. But it is an album that, when I'm actively listening to it, I feel compelled to listen til the end. And that is not how I am with most albums I enjoy enough to deem one of my all-time favorites. WC's so majestic and wonderful, I tell you. And it's an essential album for trying to cool off or go to sleep to. That's not to say it's ambient per se--it's designed to be listened to closely, just as much as your average lyrical song, and it hits the bullseye on that front. But some of these songs--they're just so pillowy, so wondrous, that they are easy to fall asleep to (at least for me).

White Crows is an album that not only holds up on its own, but does its source justice and solidifies Meteor as a musician who deserves your attention. If you haven't already, I would implore you to try this album, or any of Meteor's, out. This is my second favorite project of his, right now. White Crows gets a 10/10.

Masterpiece

Summary:
Zenlike and beautiful, this album soars--even when I came in with high expectations.

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