021 - Macroblank - 絶望に負けた

 

 

I’ve made a repeated point of how much I dislike much of vaporwave.  So much so that people are probably tired of me talking about it.  But it bears mentioning here once again to drive home a point.  For an album to come out of that genre that and not only sounds good, but ultimately makes it on to my best albums of the year list, it has to be truly exceptional.  It is this very scenario that has happened with Macroblank and his vaporwave masterpiece, 絶望に負けた.

Macroblank came screaming into the vaprowave scene out of nowhere in mid 2020, and quickly releasing two albums and EP’s. These albums specialize in groovy, chilled out acoustic music with just a hint of reverb on it.  To those familiar with vaporwave this should ring a bell.  “It’s no surprise when I say that the main influence behind my music and style is Haircuts for Men’s work.  I have always been a fan of chillout music, and this style of vaporwave represents one of the best ways to put it out there,” Macro explains.

With the understanding that this is plunderphonics, I’m highly impressed with how well it all fits together.  The samples are edited, manipulated, and ultimately stitched together in a way that everything truly sounds natural.  If I didn’t know that this was sampled music, I never would have guessed it.

This is where Macroblank’s dedication shines through.  “The usual process of getting an interesting track out really boils down to the sample selection. Most of the time it requires me to scour the internet, having to listen to hundreds of hours of music, in order to find something that could fit on a release that I’m working on.”  

It's this attention to detail that elevates Macro’s music beyond normal vaporwave.  This is evident the instant the album begins.  Soft piano chords gently guide us in for the first thirty seconds or so.  Once the guitar joins in, the opener shows its true colors.  

The groove here is next level.  The interplay of the guitar and the backing piano weave together so that the listener is left with no choice but to have a gentle sway or head bob while listening.  The rhythm section only adds to this effect.  While easily missed, the bass guitar provides a critical low end to the music.  Played overtop a drum set, some bongos and a shaker, the backbone of the song is stronger than granite.  

This is only the beginning.  Every song on this album - with one notable exception - follows this blueprint.  The stylings, structure, and instrumentation may vary with each constructed song, but that groove is ever present.  This is the key to Macroblank’s music, the shining jewel - the absolute mastery of all things groovy.

The one exception to this comes on 悲嘆.  Placed directly in the center of the album, and being nearly twice the length of most of the other compositions, it merits additional discussion.  Instead of groove we get a chilled out breakbeat, something akin to a slower paced drum and bass song.  Instead of guitars, trumpets, or pianos we have phased synth pads.  “Track 6 is pretty different, because of the fact that it takes a bit of a different influence, compared to the rest of the album, that being drum and bass from the 90’s.  It is meant to offer some contrast to the listener, compared to everything else until that point.”

Other standouts on the album include 純粋な心 with its strong similarities to Chrono Trigger’s Kingdom of Zeal.  私の壁に壊れた鏡 with its tasteful use of trumpet paired with the aforementioned piano.  牛乳とシリアル with its insanely catchy melodies.  Truly every song on here brings something that is worth listening to - no small feat considering this album is well over an hour long.

In my conversations with Macroblank, I asked why the use of kanji? “I mainly use Kanji, because I try to drive the focus more towards the music itself and less on the naming of the releases. I feel like it is a really satisfying feeling to be able to play any of the songs from a discography, and to still be able to enjoy it just as much, without knowing what you’re going to be listening to, beforehand.”

Besides the fact that the use of kanji is common throughout vaporwave, Macroblank’s explanation for its use in the song titles fascinated me.  It shows that the thought and care that goes into the construction of these songs is not limited to only the music, but also the naming conventions and ultimately the artwork itself.  

“I am a huge fan of eye-catching graphic design and I’ve been one for as long as I can remember.  In a way, Haircuts for Men’s artstyle pushed me to attempt it myself and to try to improve as much as I could. I really appreciate the look of a diverse and appealing discography.  Because of that, I wanted to interpret this very idea in my own way.”  

It's this attention to detail in the hours spent curating, editing, and manipulating samples to  achieve the perfect sound and the thought given even the smallest detail, be it art or the language used for the song title, that elevates this release beyond typical vaporwave.  All of these factors merge with that monster groove to create a behemoth of a release.  Macroblank offers 絶望に負けた as a gift to the world, I for one will accept it gladly.

Equipment Used

The only equipment I use for making music is my software, Ableton Live. 

 
Acknowledgements

A huge thank you to Macroblank for the in depth discussions about vaporwave, music, sampling, and other tomfoolery.  Additional thanks to Willem Ledeboer for feedback and in depth discussions on music and art in general.  As always thanks to Blissmonkey for editing and promotion.