Overlooked /
Underrated
By
Drawgs
It’s always good to take a slight departure from the norm,
once in a while, and Overlooked / Underrated by UK based producer Drawgs
aka Connor Metcalfe is just that.
The album is divided into two parts with Over, noted as the more
boombap focused part, and Under being a more gritty triphop edge. The dual
nature of the project is reflected in both the title and artwork. I Quote
“The naming of the project was chosen due to the definition of the
words. Overlooked and underrated, as descriptive terms, are essentially very
similar in meaning but with opposite connotations; Over and Under. It is a
perfect example of the project itself, being cohesive, in the same vein while having
two sides to it. The artwork for the project was made to be rotatable by
180 degrees to further emphasise the 2 part nature of the project. The top half
is a sunset representing the lighter side of the project, while the bottom half
is outer space representing the darker side of the project.”
This album is an instrumental project which, for me,
is excellent as instrumental albums have a lot less boundaries when you are
getting lost in the music. So, let’s get into it…
The first part of the album kicks off with the Over
(Intro) which immediately brings a chilled boombap vibe. This track brings
a sampled meditation introduction which helps prepare us for what is coming,
and it may touch us and feed the subconscious. That boombap vibe now switches
to a jazz infused sound with keyboards and horns. Like the sun through the trees,
it’s time to let your mind be free, Vacant if you will, and just drink
in the sounds and let them carry you to wherever you wish to go. From that jazz
sound we now morph to more laid-back electronic vibe full of synth notes. You
can’t help but, let the sound carry you off to an Evergreen Forest where
only these sounds and smell of pine inhabit your senses. As you are drifting
away the beat switches once more to more blues sound to the beat mixed with
horns and a wealth of layered sounds. The vocal sample seems to indicate we are
constantly revolving. This is not a Revolver like a gun, here we are
revolving within our own minds. Think of how the mind goes in circles due to
indecision, especially when you anxious over something getting you and what
that something might be, if, indeed, anything does get you…
We now switch into the second part of the album with
the Under (Intro), the drums and guitar put me in mind of the UNKLE Main
Title Theme from the album Psyence Fiction. The vocal samples direct you to
wake up to what’s really going on around you. Now we are looking hard at what’s
around us mix of Head nod beat, a sitar vibe, and samples from Casino take us
to the rough streets for Nicky’s Revenge. There is duality to the
message in this track, just like the dual nature of the album, as visions of
the violent nature of the movie’s character and his non-stop thirst for revenge
can compare to how we can keep getting up no matter what life throws at us,
keeping our focus on our goals and dreams and not on revenge. A mix of heavy
drums, Guitar and synth vibes seems to keep us grounded in the dark streets for
Don’t Want Me. Here we are drawn into his world where being a part of
something, is not always what it seams and when you see something you are not
supposed to suddenly puts you in a spot where those you thought were your
friends are not what you thought they were. The mood lights to more head nod
drums alongside some heavy keyboards, horns, and an orchestral sound. Echoism
shows how music so often echo’s real life and here you can easily sit and feel
something different each time you listen, be it a darker or more uplifting
vibe, it encompasses it all. Some instantly recognisable drums pull us into a
guitar heavy sound mixed with multi-layered sounds for a laid-back vibe. It’s
time to feel more Rested as this track seems to show that in the midst
of chaos there are moments of clarity when you can make so sense of what’s
going on. You could also see opposite noting the moments of chaos amidst the
calm. The album ends with boombap drums, keyboards, electronic sounds and more
on the ! Outro as you receive a thank you for listening to the music and
a hope that your experience will bring you back again for another experience.
Overlooked / Underrated comes in at a little 19 minutes long and I wanted more.
Instrumental albums always take me to different places, sometimes quite deep,
and I really wanted more time to experience each soundscape. It is one of those
albums that I’ll be putting in the car or playing as I write, just so I can
experience it over and over.
The inferred duality of the album transfers to an
actual feeling of duality as you listen. Each aspect of the album (the Over and
the Under) can easily give rise to a lighter or darker experience depending on
the mood of the listener. This is a credit to what Drawgs created here
musically and visually (He also produced the album artwork) as both elements
can be rotated through 360 degrees in the awareness of the listener. As you
listen to the music and look at the artwork, your own experiences and thoughts
are drawn into the mix creating all manor of visions. Even the music itself,
with its two-part, light and dark approach seems to morph into each other
making you wonder what really the boom bap aspect is and what is the triphop
aspect. What you end up with is a two-part urban meditation that gives you time
to chill in the Over before the Under grounds you back into the reality of real
life but, with enough space for that real life experience to be individually
focused just as it was in the Over.
Drawgs production is spot on here as he creates these
emotive soundscapes that come from his own imagination but gives the listener
plenty of space to create their own personal direction. The mix of Hip Hop
inspired sound is prevalent throughout the album. There is enough of a change
between the two halves of the album to be apparent but, also there is enough of
a blurring of sounds and vibes as to make you keep guessing as to the true
inspiration.
The album art also adds another dimension. Designed by Drawgs himself, it can be rotated mirroring the duality of the album and the design and lettering, alongside the music allows you to lose yourself in the image as you listen to the music but, it also has this almost sci-fi aspect allowing you to drift off into the future and back again if you so wish.
As I have said plenty of times before, this is one you
really have to experience for yourself in order to get your own experience
from. So, I urge you to give it a go and let Drawgs sound take you off
somewhere new.
Overlooked / Underrated is out on 26th August.
On that note,
I’m floating of elsewhere…
Steve.
LINKS
Pre-save link for Spotify and iTunes:
https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/drawgs/overlookedunderrated