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9.5/10
The mysterious shoegaze/Korean rock artist Parannoul is back again following his highly-rated freshman release 'To See the Next Part of the Dream'. His most recent project, 'After The Magic' is a project with densely packed and powerful synths, hard-hitting drums, and emotion-filled vocals from Parannoul, making for an extremely unique listening experience.
The album opens on a strong note with the track "Polaris", containing a perfectly buried acoustic guitar and a great melody from Parannoul, sounding almost nostalgic or sad. The synths on this track are piercing to the ear, making for a hypnotic listening experience (which is a constant theme on this album). "Insomnia" offers great drums, which aren't super present in the track but offer a great texture to the overall beat. The electric guitar is what stands out, however, sounding very rough and distorted, it hits you right in the soul. The ethereal closing to the track is also very special, offering a heavenly combination of synths and reverb-heavy vocals. "Arrival", in a similar fashion, comes through with solid drums. On top of that, I was a huge fan of the spacey synths on this track and the grandiose rock fest that it turns into about three minutes in; a surprising yet perfectly executed turn.
These twists and turns seem to be the main theme of this album, and although making beat switches and changing the vibe or tempo of a track can be risky and sometimes a deal-breaker, Parannoul seems to have mastered the skill. "We Shine At Night" comes through with distant and raw drums, crazy twists and turns, and uplifting strings that come in about four minutes into the track, accompanied by gut-wrenching distortion on Parannoul's vocals. "Parade" contains fast-paced piano and extremely strong attention to detail. Every instrument, effect, synth, and vocal is carefully and perfectly placed, making for a beautifully layered listening experience. The track makes a switch into a calmer mix with breathier vocals from Parannoul, really dragging you into a close listen. Wonderful vocal harmonies build up along with the guitar and drums into a wonderful rock cadence.
"Sketchbook", a seven-minute track, offers a great drop, satisfying distorted drums, perfectly buried vocals, and layers upon layers of magnificent synths. The track closes with beautiful arpeggio synths and a great duo of acoustic guitar and piano. This track unfortunately didn't hit me as hard as the tracks before it, it is a bit slow-paced for a seven-minute track, but it's overall still a solid listen. "Imagination" is my personal least favorite on the album when compared to the other unique tracks this project has to offer. I am a fan of the strong synths that come in mid-track, but not so much of a fan of the brief instrumental at the beginning. The last half of the track, however, is the high point. "Sound Inside Me, Waves Inside You" picks the album back up with sonic effects and synths making for a captivating and unique listen, and gorgeous vocals accompanied by hard-hitting drums to close the track out. "Blossom" is another stand-out track on this album, coming through with a unique touch of bells that blends well with Parannoul's vocals and the piano. The spaceship-sounding futuristic synths offer great entertainment, and Parannoul's screamy, emotional vocals at the closing half of the track are the cherry on top to such a detailed track.
Closing the album is the title track, "After The Magic". Opening beautifully with an airy synth, followed by a satisfyingly wavy one shortly after. This track, like a majority of the others on this project, is layered beautifully, especially with the piano and strings. It's a dreamy and pleasing closer.
How many times did I say unique in this review? Probably too many to count. This album is truly unique, contributing so many different twists and turns you'll never see coming. If you're a fan of shoegaze, alternative, rock, or psych-rock, or truly an enjoyer of any form of music, you'll be entertained and sent to another world listening to this masterful project.
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