Aldous Baker is the solo project of Seattle-based artist Brodie Cole. As both member and producer of the psych-synth quartet Shimmertraps, who released their debut album LOOK! in 2020, Cole is no stranger to composition, especially the layering of multiple tonal textures.
Seamlessly blending ’70s r&b funk, ’60s melodies and ’50s barbershop harmonies, Parcades sounds just as bright and colourful as its album cover. It is easy to imagine the blue bubbles floating and popping in tandem with “Acrobat,” its phaser-like synth and falsetto vocals creating an unpredictable atmosphere that echoes throughout. The smooth, lounge-rock energy of “Without” bleeds into instrumental closer “Bandages,” almost locking hands with the title track and opener. Every listen pinpoints different flourishes - 8-bit effects, piano riffs, audio samples - and there is a finesse in Cole’s production that gives new meaning to “less is more.”
