-=- SHGZ -=-
* Shoegaze * Indie * Post-Rock * Grunge * Dream Pop * Psych-Rock * Ethereal *
ARTIST..: Puma Blue
ALBUM...: In Praise Of Shadows
GENRE...: Alternative
STYLE...: Alternative R&B, Downtempo, Bedroom Pop, Neo-Soul, Blues, Hypnagogic Pop, Dream Pop
YEAR....: 2021
LABEL...: Blue Flowers
COUNTRY.: United Kingdom
PLACE...: London, Greater London
BORN....: 24 February 1995
ENCODER.: FLAC 1.3.1 -8 -V
BITRATE.: 642 kbps avg
QUALITY.: 44.1kHz / 2 channels
SOURCE..: CD
TRACKS..: 14
SIZE....: 238.83 MB
URL..: http://www.facebook.com/pumabluemusic
- TRACKLIST
1 Sweet Dreams 2:39
2 Cherish (furs) 3:52
3 Velvet Leaves 5:03
4 Snowflower 3:15
5 Already Falling 4:15
6 Sheets 2:49
7 Olive / Letter To ATL 1:03
8 Oil Slick 5:50
9 Silk Print 4:11
10 Is It Because 6:06
11 Opiate 2:31
12 Sleeping 1:07
13 Bath House 4:10
14 Super Soft 4:29
Total Playtime: 51:20
Puma Blue's debut album, "In Praise of Shadows", is a downtempo sonic
dreamland that reflects the artist's journey towards self-acceptance. The
south Londoner's debut confronts the emotions that have been keeping him in
the darkThe album's title suggests a celebration of life in its rawest form,
embracing both light and darkness.
*
The south Londoner's debut confronts the emotions that have been keeping him
in the dark
For nigh for a decade, Puma Blue - aka Jacob Allen - was trying to live a
life plagued by insomnia. He says that the affliction resulted in barely a
couple hours of sleep at night, and in a recent interview, adds that it was
"compounding a depression", his woozy music reflecting that period of
restlessness. He credits a new partner for lifting the fog and bringing him
out of the state; the songs on this debut album reflect that breakthrough.
His songwriting has always been an evocative one, in spite of the struggles.
Since the release of his debut single 'Want Me' in 2017, and EPs 'Swum Baby'
and 'Blood Loss', the monstrous streaming numbers and sell-out shows came
naturally. A genre-defying sound - shades of King Krule, Mac Miller and James
Blake - helped create a hazy dreamland for listeners to get lost in.
'In Praise Of Shadows' traces the 25-year-old's journey towards
self-acceptance with an openness that was previously absent. Adding that he
felt he must confront "the balance of light and dark, the painful things you
have to heal from or accept", it's clear that the darkness that once
dominated no longer seems to control him. Instead, much like the album's
title suggests, he makes himself vulnerable to the pain in order to accept
and move beyond it.
The maturity is a welcome one, distancing him from the tortured,
self-described 'voicemail ballads' of his early work. While there are moments
on tracks like 'Opiate' and 'Velvet Leaves' where darkness and delirium
win-out, by and large 'In Praise Of Shadows' is a celebration of life in its
rawest form.
He shifts between minimalist production and complex layers of sound:
twinkling guitar and woozy synths compliment the hip-hop beats and soulful
melodies. Most notably on 'Velvet Leaves', where jazz-inflected drums and
hip-hop beats mesh subtly, allowing his tender vocals - on which he ruminates
on a sibling's suicide attempt - to cut through the haze: "gotta stay strong
for the little one / who found you in your room".
Allen continues the trend of bedroom musicians not just utilising those
spaces as a means, but for creativity too: "my guard is down when I write and
record at home. I don't shelter from my feelings", he says. His vulnerability
permeates every corner of the record - the closeness of his breath ('Super
Soft') or fuzzy falsetto vocals on ('Sweet Dreams') - as Allen's lo-fi
production does nothing to dispel the notion that we're eavesdropping on his
innermost thoughts. At a time where many encumber sleepless nights and
intense self-reflection, Puma Blue's debut may well provide a brief moment of
relief for those lost in the darkness.
*
The debut full-length album from London's Puma Blue, 2021's In Praise of
Shadows, showcases his hypnotic blend of lyrical indie rock and jazzy,
'90s-style downtempo electronica. The stage name of singer/songwriter and
producer Jacob Allen, Puma Blue first garnered buzz for his equally
atmospheric EPs, 2017's Swum Baby and 2018's Blood Loss. In Praise of Shadows
finds him further expanding his guitar- and vocals-based sound, weaving in a
dusky blend of analog and electronic textures. Try to imagine something along
the lines of Jeff Buckley recording at home with J Dilla, and you won't be
far off from the narcotic bedroom vibe Puma Blue conjures here. Poetically
titled cuts like "Velvet Leaves," "Opiate," and "Slick Print" mix Allen's
hushed vocals with shimmering guitar riffs and head-nodding beats that he
pushes way up in the mix. Elsewhere, he draws upon an otherworldly
combination of influences, his harmonized, double-tracked vocals evoking a
surprising concoction of Sade and Low on the ballad "Silk Print." Similarly
evocative, "Oil Slick" nicely updates the vintage trip-hop of bands like
Morcheeba and Massive Attack with its frenetic groove, strings, and sax solo.
It's also impressive how balanced Puma Blue's sound can be, intentionally
threatening to fall off the page with a lo-fi guitar sample one second and
then diving into a mesmerizingly seductive R&B groove the next, as on the
D'Angelo-esque "Is It Because." With In Praise of Shadows, Puma Blue has
crafted a deliberate slow burn of a debut album you'll enjoy taking your time
with.
*
Most everyone has seen the numerous videos on YouTube titled something along
the lines of 'chillhop study' or 'work beats 24 hours'. The reason why this
type of music is used by many while performing various activities is because
it is perfect to be played in the background; it does not distract or divert
one's attention from the task at hand. However, could music that sounds this
way elicit an emotional response and, in this way, distract one from working?
Jacob Allen aka Puma Blue gives the listener exactly that. His debut album In
Praise of Shadows can be deceiving; although it sounds soothing and is in the
same vain as those work music playlists, it does not let the listener focus
on anything else - there is genuine emotion in these tracks that must be
acknowledged.
In Praise of Shadows already showcases the development of Puma Blue as an
artist. His first EP Swum Baby was quite reminiscent of early King Krule or a
much softer version of boy pablo. This record strays away from all of that
and here Allen expresses his jazzy and even R&B influences. At certain
points, Allen seems to be almost mimicking the sound of other moody indie-pop
bands, but it is not copy-pasting; in subtle harmonic details Puma Blue
personalizes this sound. Certain points in the album sound quite cinematic;
tracks like "Sheets" and "Is It Because" could easily be envisioned in a
modern arthouse piece such as Richard Linklater's Before Sunrise or a Wes
Anderson picture.
Perhaps the greatest aspect of In Praise of Shadows is its diversity of
sound. In a lo-fi indie-pop record of this kind it is quite a rarity to hear
various influences coexisting in such harmony; mostly because there are few
albums that cover a wide range of influences. As mentioned before, it
radiates strong chillhop study beats vibes, which is more on the hip-hop
spectrum than anything else, while at the same time it can be reminiscent of
the heavily reverberated style of Cigarettes After Sex, while Allen's vocal
style is akin with that of The xx's Oliver Sim. At the same time, the entire
album is enveloped in very jazz-influenced sounds that could be likened to
the band Morphine if their arrangements were made by Mac Demarco. Closing
track "Super Soft" even brings in a surprising acoustic sound that throws
Phil Elverum into the mix of influences.
The main drawback of In Praise of Shadows is its awkward pacing, which starts
to lose intrigue as it stretches to its 52-minute runtime. Fortunately, this
is made up for with two great finishing tracks that just about manage
diminish the rising sleepiness.
Puma Blue's debut LP is certainly a new step in Allen's development as an
artist. This album was reportedly influenced by the Nomadic lifestyle that he
took on while recording it, as well as a personal tragedy, but one of the
greatest aspects of In Praise of Shadows is the lack of need to know this in
order to enjoy it. Allen's songwriting is the sole thing that needs to be
focused on; the impressiveness comes from the variety of sounds and the
subtle details. It would be truly surprising if someone were able to use this
as background music.
-=- SHGZ -=-
-=-=-==-=-=-
Shoegaze
is a genre of alternative rock that
originated in the late 80s. The genre is very
difficult to define, and it is even more difficult to evaluate music
within it. Generally, the genre is characterized by its
shimmering vocals, reverberating guitars, and
textural distortion that create
a tranquil, opaque
feeling.
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