Tash Sultana, Flow State, Album Review
Tash Sultana
Flow State
Album Review
Listen on Spotify
Yet another artist that I have newly discovered, the Australian "one person band" known as Tash Sultana released her first record since last years EP titled "Notion". And while I had only recently discovered the artist, It took a very short time for her music to blow me away. The mixture of psychedelic and pop-influenced elements that she adds to her incredible vocals appealed to me almost instantly when listening to it for the first time.
The best comparison that I can make to other albums is that this one combines the comic and psychedelic elements of Serol Serol's self-titled album with the incredible immersive and catchy compositions from Nightmares on Wax's "Shape the Future". But its also needless to say that this album really is in a league of its own.
Beginning with a marvellous two and a half minute intro named "Seed", it really showcases the amazing range of Sultana's vocals whilst also immersing us deeply into the album with its ambient strings. An incredible way to start the album off.
In a way the intro track almost feels connected in some way to the next track "Big Smoke" for their similarities in melody. However, "Big Smoke" adds a lot more layers to the mix with a psychedelic beat amongst other elements that really help make this song catchy. I gave this song a listen on its own before the rest of the album and I must say that it did a great job with helping me anticipate what was to come with the other tracks.
The groove that I felt from "Big Smoke" is certainly carried through with the next track; "Cigarettes" which has a marvellous bass riff and a very celestial atmosphere added in. I also love the final segment of the song where the pace really picks up and the song becomes incredibly upbeat.
At this moment in time, I currently have two favourite songs on this album. One of which is track number 4; "Murder to the Mind". The combination of echoing guitar strings and trumpet melodies really make that Nightmare's on Wax/Serol Serol comparison that I mentioned earlier and is all at once a song filled with atmosphere and grandeur, while also being a very catchy anthem of a song.
"Seven" is the track that in my mind showcases Tash Sultana's musical talent the best. The grandeur continues with this track and makes the "one person band" seem more like a "one person orchestra".
The next song "Salvation" is quite similar to "Seven" musically. However, Sultana adds her vocals and a bit more of a rhythm to make it more of a traditional track.
"Pink Moon" is a much more downbeat track than the earlier ones. Reverting back to using just her vocals and some guitar strings. However, she certainly doesn't fail to carry through the same level of atmosphere. It's a very heartfelt song where the emotion is executed flawlessly.
"Mellow Marmalade" similarly has the same instrumentation. But this one has a much warmer vibe to it than the colder vibes of "Pink Moon". I love the way the melody almost glows in a sense thanks to its amazing guitar work.
"Harvest Love", being the third of the "acoustic" tracks, probably has the best vocal range of the three, but I feel than in a way it detracts from the atmosphere of the whole thing, ultimately making "Harvest Love", while still being a very good song in the way of talent, not as memorable as the other two in my opinion.
Breaking away from the acoustic approach once again, the next track "Mystik" is the second of my two favourites. The mixture of echoing electric guitar strings and more orchestral violin plucking makes gives the song a very unique and cosmic edge. It's arguably the most atmospheric song on the album (and that's saying a lot) and also has a final segment that surpasses even that of "Cigarettes" that begins with one of the coolest bass riffs I've heard this year which then explodes into an upbeat cosmic melody which almost feels similar to some of Foals' material. This is an absolute tune and I love it!
"Free Mind" also has quite a lot of cosmic energy added to it. And while perhaps not being as explosive as "Mystik", is still an incredibly enjoyable song.
Without a doubt the flashiest song, "Blackbird" is unlike any acoustic song that I had heard before. The frequent changes in speed really make this song stand out from the rest and the speed can sometimes reach incredibly fast paces at points. This truly cements just how talented Tash Sultana really is and if you're a fan of acoustics, this nine and a half minute piece can be your new favourite thing.
The album then fittingly concludes with an outro which is solely musical (like "Seven") but it includes only the sweet echoing strings that almost give off a sense of the sound dwindling away, almost like a musical sunset. I feel like it was a perfect way to ease my way out of the immersion that I had fallen so deep into.
In short, I am thrilled that I had discovered Tash Sultana at the time of this album's release as it only encourages me to discover even more artists and new music and I am incredibly excited to see what she has in store for the coming years. Marvellous work!
Thank you for reading
BBP
Yet another artist that I have newly discovered, the Australian "one person band" known as Tash Sultana released her first record since last years EP titled "Notion". And while I had only recently discovered the artist, It took a very short time for her music to blow me away. The mixture of psychedelic and pop-influenced elements that she adds to her incredible vocals appealed to me almost instantly when listening to it for the first time.
The best comparison that I can make to other albums is that this one combines the comic and psychedelic elements of Serol Serol's self-titled album with the incredible immersive and catchy compositions from Nightmares on Wax's "Shape the Future". But its also needless to say that this album really is in a league of its own.
Beginning with a marvellous two and a half minute intro named "Seed", it really showcases the amazing range of Sultana's vocals whilst also immersing us deeply into the album with its ambient strings. An incredible way to start the album off.
In a way the intro track almost feels connected in some way to the next track "Big Smoke" for their similarities in melody. However, "Big Smoke" adds a lot more layers to the mix with a psychedelic beat amongst other elements that really help make this song catchy. I gave this song a listen on its own before the rest of the album and I must say that it did a great job with helping me anticipate what was to come with the other tracks.
The groove that I felt from "Big Smoke" is certainly carried through with the next track; "Cigarettes" which has a marvellous bass riff and a very celestial atmosphere added in. I also love the final segment of the song where the pace really picks up and the song becomes incredibly upbeat.
At this moment in time, I currently have two favourite songs on this album. One of which is track number 4; "Murder to the Mind". The combination of echoing guitar strings and trumpet melodies really make that Nightmare's on Wax/Serol Serol comparison that I mentioned earlier and is all at once a song filled with atmosphere and grandeur, while also being a very catchy anthem of a song.
"Seven" is the track that in my mind showcases Tash Sultana's musical talent the best. The grandeur continues with this track and makes the "one person band" seem more like a "one person orchestra".
The next song "Salvation" is quite similar to "Seven" musically. However, Sultana adds her vocals and a bit more of a rhythm to make it more of a traditional track.
"Pink Moon" is a much more downbeat track than the earlier ones. Reverting back to using just her vocals and some guitar strings. However, she certainly doesn't fail to carry through the same level of atmosphere. It's a very heartfelt song where the emotion is executed flawlessly.
"Mellow Marmalade" similarly has the same instrumentation. But this one has a much warmer vibe to it than the colder vibes of "Pink Moon". I love the way the melody almost glows in a sense thanks to its amazing guitar work.
"Harvest Love", being the third of the "acoustic" tracks, probably has the best vocal range of the three, but I feel than in a way it detracts from the atmosphere of the whole thing, ultimately making "Harvest Love", while still being a very good song in the way of talent, not as memorable as the other two in my opinion.
Breaking away from the acoustic approach once again, the next track "Mystik" is the second of my two favourites. The mixture of echoing electric guitar strings and more orchestral violin plucking makes gives the song a very unique and cosmic edge. It's arguably the most atmospheric song on the album (and that's saying a lot) and also has a final segment that surpasses even that of "Cigarettes" that begins with one of the coolest bass riffs I've heard this year which then explodes into an upbeat cosmic melody which almost feels similar to some of Foals' material. This is an absolute tune and I love it!
"Free Mind" also has quite a lot of cosmic energy added to it. And while perhaps not being as explosive as "Mystik", is still an incredibly enjoyable song.
Without a doubt the flashiest song, "Blackbird" is unlike any acoustic song that I had heard before. The frequent changes in speed really make this song stand out from the rest and the speed can sometimes reach incredibly fast paces at points. This truly cements just how talented Tash Sultana really is and if you're a fan of acoustics, this nine and a half minute piece can be your new favourite thing.
The album then fittingly concludes with an outro which is solely musical (like "Seven") but it includes only the sweet echoing strings that almost give off a sense of the sound dwindling away, almost like a musical sunset. I feel like it was a perfect way to ease my way out of the immersion that I had fallen so deep into.
In short, I am thrilled that I had discovered Tash Sultana at the time of this album's release as it only encourages me to discover even more artists and new music and I am incredibly excited to see what she has in store for the coming years. Marvellous work!
Thank you for reading
BBP
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