{"id":841,"date":"2016-03-02T06:00:04","date_gmt":"2016-03-02T06:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.timwyatt.ca\/test\/?p=841"},"modified":"2016-03-03T02:01:22","modified_gmt":"2016-03-03T02:01:22","slug":"quelle-chris-lullabies-for-the-broken-brain-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.timwyatt.ca\/test\/?p=841","title":{"rendered":"Quelle Chris: Lullabies for the Broken Brain"},"content":{"rendered":"

We\u2019ve all felt alone at some point or another. In those moments, it seems the world passes by while you sit in painful silence. It\u2019s a common emotion, really; one you\u2019re ashamed to admit, one that needs time to run its course. It seems rapper\/producer Quelle Chris is going through something similar, if his recent work is an indicator: Last year\u2019s\u00a0Innocent Country<\/a><\/i> briefly touched on his perceived personal insecurities, and his new instrumental album, Lullabies for the Broken Brain<\/i>, carefully walks us through that despair using lo-fi drum breaks and spacious beat construction. Quelle\u2019s production has always been unorthodox, yet Lullabies<\/i> finds him pushing for something rooted in hip-hop, though it registers further away. This isn\u2019t your average beat tape. Lullabies<\/i> is made of divergent sounds, loosely built to set a pensive vibe shaded with desperation and hopelessness.<\/p>\n

As the title suggests, Lullabies<\/i> is overtly nocturnal, full of dark, disjointed sounds and cosmic clatter. It comes together like a\u00a0Madlib<\/a> instrumental project in the way certain songs aren\u2019t fully formed, but they work well within the scope of the LP, making for a coherent suite to be played all at once. Many of these tracks don\u2019t go much beyond a minute\u2014except for “M-39,” “Peace and Pain,” “I\u2019m the Bridge You Must Burn,” and a few others, which serve as some of the best work on Quelle\u2019s album. Compared with 2012\u2019s\u00a0Jock Sin Six Beat Tape<\/a><\/i>, an edgy conceptual EP dealing with societal angst, Lullabies<\/i> is a slow burn designed to soundtrack what the mind endures when loneliness sets in. The melodies are cavernous and somewhat distant, emitting a gritty resonance that affirms Quelle\u2019s premise.<\/p>\n

At certain points on the album, we hear positive affirmations blended into the mix\u2014like the 1970s “Most Important Person<\/a>”\u00a0commercial spot\u2014offering brief glimmers of hope amongst an otherwise bleak soundscape. Lullabies<\/i> is the album you play when you\u2019re going through serious shit. At just the right length and tempo, Quelle skillfully blends genres, showing his great range as a composer and creative visionary. He opts for jazz fusion on “Desire to Be,” “Red Buttons,” and “Sickum,” sprinkling light keys and horns into the fray; the aforementioned “Peace and Pain” is a seething electro-rock hybrid similar to the work of\u00a0OPN<\/a> or\u00a0Trent Reznor<\/a>. This is easy listening, but it has all the psychedelic grit you\u2019d expect from a Quelle release. He\u2019s pushed beyond his usual arc, leading to a wonderfully ambient release that should be mentioned with the genre\u2019s trendsetters.<\/p>\n

Then again, this isn\u2019t surprising if you\u2019ve followed Quelle so far. The Detroit native has long pushed his music to weird places, crafting art that\u2019s equally genuine and peculiar. In recent years, though, Quelle has discussed his career path with the same level of angst we\u2019ve all expressed in our respective fields. He ponders the road ahead and choices he\u2019s made along the way. He’s wondered why he’s slept on and what it’ll take to move past those doldrums. Over several projects, Quelle has always been someone you can relate to, and his music comes off as such. If Innocent Country<\/i> trailed off without clear resolutions, Lullabies<\/i> signals Quelle\u2019s uncertain trek to the light. Many of us have taken that journey, or will do so eventually.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We\u2019ve all felt alone at some point or another. In those moments, it seems the world passes by while you sit in painful silence. It\u2019s a common emotion, really; one you\u2019re ashamed to admit, one…<\/p>\n

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