SG35: Aldous Baker - Parcades [EP]
Shimmertraps Member & Producer, Brodie Cole, Releases Solo EP
Aldous Baker, also known as the solo project of Seattle-based artist Brodie Cole, shares his stunning solo EP Parcades. As both member and producer of the psych-synth quartet Shimmertraps (who released their gorgeous debut album 'LOOK!' in 2020), Cole is no stranger to composition, especially when it comes to the layering of multiple tonal textures.
Seamlessly blending together ‘70s r&b funk, ‘60s melodies, and ‘50s barbershop harmonies, Parcades sounds just as bright and colorful as its album cover. It’s easy to imagine, for instance, the blue bubbles (from the looks of it, suspended in sweet orange crush) floating and popping in tandem with “Acrobat,” the phaser-like synth and falsetto vocals creating an unpredictable atmosphere that echoes throughout the release. The smooth, lounge-rock energy of “Without” bleeds into the instrumental closer “Bandages,” almost locking hands with the title track and opener.
Every listen to the EP allows you to pinpoint different flourishes – 8 bit effects, piano riffs, audio samples. There’s finesse within Cole’s silky smooth production that gives new meaning to the phrase “less is more” – and yet, ironically, the sheer subtlety in the slight synth whines in between verses, and later, the supersonic effects at its close, all work together to create an expanse vast and unpredictable, calm yet volatile.