Reviews | Reviews
Critique / Review Album Long Division by Doc Rhombus
Écrit par / Written by
Sébastien Ross
Owner of KracRadio and music project maloware.com
Owner of KracRadio and music project maloware.com
text revised by Yanick Franche
À propos de l'artiste / About the artist
Nom de l'Artiste / Artist Name
Doc Rhombus
Type
Lo-Fi, Experimental Rock and Pop, and the visceral grooves of Trip-Hop
Date de Parution / Release date
January 20, 2021
Étiquette de disque / Disc Label
Self-Release
Biography / Biographie
Doc Rhombus is an independent solo artist, multi-instrumentalist, and producer who makes music in Minneapolis. Blending the haziness of "lo-fi" production, expansive sonic landscapes of experimental pop and rock, and the visceral grooves of trip-hop, Doc Rhombus has been writing, recording, and producing music since 2018. Before moving to Minneapolis in 2020, Doc Rhombus was a songwriter and guitarist living on Chicago's near west side and, before that, the Rogers Park neighborhood.
Doc Rhombus' debut project, The Condition, was released in 2019 and is available via CD and on Bandcamp. A remastered version will be available on all platforms in 2021.
Several singles on The Condition received airplay on radio stations in the U.S. and South Africa. In fall 2019, NPR station WNIJ in Illinois featured The Condition on its independent music program, and in early 2020, RMR radio in South Africa, the country's first independent student-run radio station, featured Doc Rhombus on its indie music showcase.
Doc Rhombus is currently collaborating with television producers in Honduras to create a soundtrack for a TV thriller drama series, "Enigmas." Doc Rhombus hopes to play live shows in the Minneapolis area in 2021 and is planning several virtual shows to promote Long Division.
Doc Rhombus is influenced by Beck, Air, Kendrick Lamar, Wilco, Clairo, Massive Attack, Danger Mouse, MorMor, Helado Negro, Damon Albarn, Amen Dunes, The National, and Anderson .Paak, among others. Doc Rhombus' goal is to make music with his idols.
Doc Rhombus' debut project, The Condition, was released in 2019 and is available via CD and on Bandcamp. A remastered version will be available on all platforms in 2021.
Several singles on The Condition received airplay on radio stations in the U.S. and South Africa. In fall 2019, NPR station WNIJ in Illinois featured The Condition on its independent music program, and in early 2020, RMR radio in South Africa, the country's first independent student-run radio station, featured Doc Rhombus on its indie music showcase.
Doc Rhombus is currently collaborating with television producers in Honduras to create a soundtrack for a TV thriller drama series, "Enigmas." Doc Rhombus hopes to play live shows in the Minneapolis area in 2021 and is planning several virtual shows to promote Long Division.
Doc Rhombus is influenced by Beck, Air, Kendrick Lamar, Wilco, Clairo, Massive Attack, Danger Mouse, MorMor, Helado Negro, Damon Albarn, Amen Dunes, The National, and Anderson .Paak, among others. Doc Rhombus' goal is to make music with his idols.
Ma Critique / My Review
French
Doc Rhombus made us this wonderful request to review his album via our Twitter account. I don't consider myself a pro or a prolific music person. I'm still a big fan of music in general. I figure it would be easy for me to look at album reviews left and right and copy and paste what's out there, but I decided to do it my way. I've decided to do it my way, so you'll have a review of each piece, but it's a personal one, and I think the best judge in the end can only be yourself. I invite you to join me on my incredible adventure with the album "Long Division".
Escape
First of all, the thing that surprised me on leaving and made my pupils widen was the voice. I've no idea exactly why, but I immediately found it captivating and thought, right from the start, that this was going to be a pleasant discovery. As for the song in general, you're going to be accompanied by a nice, neat bass as well as a well-produced vocal and back-vocal production. In my opinion, the back-vocals and arrangements were made with a view to making you just go out or travel. A song that lasts 2 minutes 36 seconds and easily whets your appetite for the rest of the listening session.
Fine Line
The second song would, in short, confirm whether the first song was pure luck or pure genius. In "Front line", we can see that there's more variation in the vocals, and that Doc Rhombus doesn't have to feel embarrassed by his "competitors" in this respect. A song that lasts 3 minutes 8 seconds and is somewhat different from the first. Nice keyboard production and distortion without overdoing it, just perfect for this type of song.
Beyond Words
Oh how this song flashed me from the first listen, especially from 1 minute 16 seconds onwards. You can hear Beck's influence mixed with The Prince. I could easily have imagined myself singing this song and making quite a splash. We can admire all the subtlety in the voice tones and the particular grain. A voice that would probably make the most beautiful courtesan at court blush. If you've got nothing to do tonight, just listen to this masterful work.
Echo Chamber
We now move into a funkier universe with "echo chamber", which will make you want to snap your fingers. A beautiful production that demonstrates the artist's talent very well. This track has more layers of vocals than the others, making it very charming, with a nice guitar rift.
Thank you
It starts with a melody that's higher pitched than the others, allowing for a change of tempo. Back-vocals that will travel in your ears and, in general, give you a nice impression of depth.
Still Wanna Believe
The song begins with a drum-and-snare loop that'll have you tapping your feet as it goes, followed by a piano rift that'll have you on the edge of your seat. This is married to a heavy bass that will make your ears ring in just the right way without being too aggressive, it's well balanced. Within a minute of listening to the song, you'll discover the full splendor of this masterful work. It's clear that here we can admire all the artist's talent and that, if this song were performed, it would be very high on the Billboard charts. A song that only lasts two minutes 45 seconds, and I would have taken an extra 5 minutes. Listen to it over and over in your car.
Degenerate
This one lulls us into ambient and, with a wide range of sound effects, you'll be able to admire, especially with your headphones, several instrumental layers. A much less "mainstream" song than the previous one, but a really well-crafted production.
Nothing left to defend
Lots of sonic variety. There's a fine line between a lot of sound and a completely chaotic piece. I greatly appreciate the trumpets used, which give a more jazzy sound and support the text and context.
UpHeaval
After 2 songs with more character, Doc Rhombus changes tempo to a funkier song. Nice rhythmic song with a nice vocal variation. I really like the build-up in this song. There could easily be many remixes, as this is a song that is easily malleable and great to listen to.
Celebration of the Century
One of the longest songs on the album, it has depth and a slightly slower pace than "UpHeaval". It's a good mix of today's music and what was being created in the '70s.
To conclude,
Doc Rhombus is a wonderful discovery for me, and so early in 2021. I played 2 tracks to the person who is going to review this text and he immediately fell under the spell after listening to his 2 pieces. If he continues to deliver such polished productions, it's clear that he has a bright future ahead of him, and it's a safe bet that some people will discover this album in 10 or 15 years' time and wonder where they were in 2021? If you have the chance to listen to it and share this discovery with others, I strongly encourage you to do so.
Escape
First of all, the thing that surprised me on leaving and made my pupils widen was the voice. I've no idea exactly why, but I immediately found it captivating and thought, right from the start, that this was going to be a pleasant discovery. As for the song in general, you're going to be accompanied by a nice, neat bass as well as a well-produced vocal and back-vocal production. In my opinion, the back-vocals and arrangements were made with a view to making you just go out or travel. A song that lasts 2 minutes 36 seconds and easily whets your appetite for the rest of the listening session.
Fine Line
The second song would, in short, confirm whether the first song was pure luck or pure genius. In "Front line", we can see that there's more variation in the vocals, and that Doc Rhombus doesn't have to feel embarrassed by his "competitors" in this respect. A song that lasts 3 minutes 8 seconds and is somewhat different from the first. Nice keyboard production and distortion without overdoing it, just perfect for this type of song.
Beyond Words
Oh how this song flashed me from the first listen, especially from 1 minute 16 seconds onwards. You can hear Beck's influence mixed with The Prince. I could easily have imagined myself singing this song and making quite a splash. We can admire all the subtlety in the voice tones and the particular grain. A voice that would probably make the most beautiful courtesan at court blush. If you've got nothing to do tonight, just listen to this masterful work.
Echo Chamber
We now move into a funkier universe with "echo chamber", which will make you want to snap your fingers. A beautiful production that demonstrates the artist's talent very well. This track has more layers of vocals than the others, making it very charming, with a nice guitar rift.
Thank you
It starts with a melody that's higher pitched than the others, allowing for a change of tempo. Back-vocals that will travel in your ears and, in general, give you a nice impression of depth.
Still Wanna Believe
The song begins with a drum-and-snare loop that'll have you tapping your feet as it goes, followed by a piano rift that'll have you on the edge of your seat. This is married to a heavy bass that will make your ears ring in just the right way without being too aggressive, it's well balanced. Within a minute of listening to the song, you'll discover the full splendor of this masterful work. It's clear that here we can admire all the artist's talent and that, if this song were performed, it would be very high on the Billboard charts. A song that only lasts two minutes 45 seconds, and I would have taken an extra 5 minutes. Listen to it over and over in your car.
Degenerate
This one lulls us into ambient and, with a wide range of sound effects, you'll be able to admire, especially with your headphones, several instrumental layers. A much less "mainstream" song than the previous one, but a really well-crafted production.
Nothing left to defend
Lots of sonic variety. There's a fine line between a lot of sound and a completely chaotic piece. I greatly appreciate the trumpets used, which give a more jazzy sound and support the text and context.
UpHeaval
After 2 songs with more character, Doc Rhombus changes tempo to a funkier song. Nice rhythmic song with a nice vocal variation. I really like the build-up in this song. There could easily be many remixes, as this is a song that is easily malleable and great to listen to.
Celebration of the Century
One of the longest songs on the album, it has depth and a slightly slower pace than "UpHeaval". It's a good mix of today's music and what was being created in the '70s.
To conclude,
Doc Rhombus is a wonderful discovery for me, and so early in 2021. I played 2 tracks to the person who is going to review this text and he immediately fell under the spell after listening to his 2 pieces. If he continues to deliver such polished productions, it's clear that he has a bright future ahead of him, and it's a safe bet that some people will discover this album in 10 or 15 years' time and wonder where they were in 2021? If you have the chance to listen to it and share this discovery with others, I strongly encourage you to do so.
English
Doc Rhombus made this wonderful request to us to criticize his album via our Twitter account. I don't consider myself to be a pro or a prolific person in music. I remain a big fan of music in general. I tell myself that it would be easy for me to go and see, left and right, album reviews and copy and paste what exists in terms of reviews, but I decided to do it at my way. You will therefore have a review on each piece, but this is very personal and I believe that the best judge in the end can only be yourself. I therefore invite you to accompany me in my incredible adventure of the album "Long Division".
Escape
First of all, what surprised me when I left and made my pupils widen is the voice. No idea exactly why, but I immediately found it bewitching and thought from the start that it was going to be a pleasant discovery. As for the song in general, you will be accompanied by a nice, well-kept bass as well as a well-produced voice and back-vocal production. In my opinion, the back-vocals and arrangements were made accordingly to just make you go out or travel. A song that lasts 2 minutes 36 seconds that will easily whet your appetite for the rest of the listening.
Fine Line
The second song would, in short, confirm whether the first song was pure luck or pure genius. In "Front line" we can notice a greater variation in the voice level and that Doc Rhombus should not feel embarrassed in front of his "competitors" about it. A song that lasts 3 minutes 8 seconds which is somewhat different from the first one. A nice production on the keyboard as well as the distortion without giving too much just perfect for this type of song.
Beyond Words
Oh that song made me flash the first time I listen to it, especially from 1 minute 16 seconds. We can hear Beck's influence mixed with The Prince. I could easily have imagined myself singing that song and making a big splash. We can admire all the subtlety in the tone of the voice and the particular grain. A voice that would very possibly make the most beautiful courtesan of the court blush. If you have nothing to do tonight, just listen to this masterful work.
Echo Chamber
We are now moving into a more funky universe with "echo chamber" which will give you the taste of snapping your fingers. A beautiful production which demonstrates the artist's talent very well. This piece has more layers of vocals than the others which makes it very charming with a nice guitar rift.
Thank you
It starts with a higher melody than the others which allows for a change of tempo. Back-vocals that will travel to your ears and that, in general, will give you a nice feeling of depth.
Still Wanna Believe
The song begins with a "drum and snare" loop that will have you tapping your foot starting out followed by a piano rift that will enchant you. This is married to a heavy bass that will make your ears ring in a fair way without being too aggressive, it is well balanced. Directly one minute of listening to the song, you will discover all the splendor of this masterpiece. It's clear that here we can admire all the artist's talent and that if this song were to be performed it would be high on the Billboard. A song that is only two minutes 45 seconds long and I would have taken another 5 minutes. To listen in loop in your vehicle.
Degenerate
This one rocks us towards the ambient and, with a wide range of sound effects, you will be able to admire especially with your headphones, several instrumental layers. A song much less "mainstream" than the previous song, but a really well done production.
Nothing left to defend
Lots of varieties in terms of noise. The margin between having a lot of sound and a completely chaotic work is very thin. I greatly appreciate the trumpets used which gives a more jazzy sound and supports the text and context well.
UpHeaval
After 2 songs with more character, Doc Rhombus changes the tempo to a more funky song. Beautiful rhythmic song with a nice variation in the voice. I really enjoy the rise in this song. There could easily be a lot of remixes, because it's a song that is easily malleable and is great to listen to.
Celebration of the Century
One of the longest songs on the album which, all in all, has a nice depth with a beat a little slower than "UpHeaval". It's a good mix of current music and what was created in the 70s.
To conclude,
Doc Rhombus is, for me, a great discovery and this so early in this year 2021. I played 2 songs to the person who will revise this text and he also immediately fell in love after listening to his 2 songs. If he continues to deliver such polished productions, it is clear that he has a bright future ahead and it is a safe bet that some people will discover this album in 10 or 15 years and wonder where they were in 2021. ? If you have the chance to listen to him and share this discovery with others, I strongly encourage you to do so.
Escape
First of all, what surprised me when I left and made my pupils widen is the voice. No idea exactly why, but I immediately found it bewitching and thought from the start that it was going to be a pleasant discovery. As for the song in general, you will be accompanied by a nice, well-kept bass as well as a well-produced voice and back-vocal production. In my opinion, the back-vocals and arrangements were made accordingly to just make you go out or travel. A song that lasts 2 minutes 36 seconds that will easily whet your appetite for the rest of the listening.
Fine Line
The second song would, in short, confirm whether the first song was pure luck or pure genius. In "Front line" we can notice a greater variation in the voice level and that Doc Rhombus should not feel embarrassed in front of his "competitors" about it. A song that lasts 3 minutes 8 seconds which is somewhat different from the first one. A nice production on the keyboard as well as the distortion without giving too much just perfect for this type of song.
Beyond Words
Oh that song made me flash the first time I listen to it, especially from 1 minute 16 seconds. We can hear Beck's influence mixed with The Prince. I could easily have imagined myself singing that song and making a big splash. We can admire all the subtlety in the tone of the voice and the particular grain. A voice that would very possibly make the most beautiful courtesan of the court blush. If you have nothing to do tonight, just listen to this masterful work.
Echo Chamber
We are now moving into a more funky universe with "echo chamber" which will give you the taste of snapping your fingers. A beautiful production which demonstrates the artist's talent very well. This piece has more layers of vocals than the others which makes it very charming with a nice guitar rift.
Thank you
It starts with a higher melody than the others which allows for a change of tempo. Back-vocals that will travel to your ears and that, in general, will give you a nice feeling of depth.
Still Wanna Believe
The song begins with a "drum and snare" loop that will have you tapping your foot starting out followed by a piano rift that will enchant you. This is married to a heavy bass that will make your ears ring in a fair way without being too aggressive, it is well balanced. Directly one minute of listening to the song, you will discover all the splendor of this masterpiece. It's clear that here we can admire all the artist's talent and that if this song were to be performed it would be high on the Billboard. A song that is only two minutes 45 seconds long and I would have taken another 5 minutes. To listen in loop in your vehicle.
Degenerate
This one rocks us towards the ambient and, with a wide range of sound effects, you will be able to admire especially with your headphones, several instrumental layers. A song much less "mainstream" than the previous song, but a really well done production.
Nothing left to defend
Lots of varieties in terms of noise. The margin between having a lot of sound and a completely chaotic work is very thin. I greatly appreciate the trumpets used which gives a more jazzy sound and supports the text and context well.
UpHeaval
After 2 songs with more character, Doc Rhombus changes the tempo to a more funky song. Beautiful rhythmic song with a nice variation in the voice. I really enjoy the rise in this song. There could easily be a lot of remixes, because it's a song that is easily malleable and is great to listen to.
Celebration of the Century
One of the longest songs on the album which, all in all, has a nice depth with a beat a little slower than "UpHeaval". It's a good mix of current music and what was created in the 70s.
To conclude,
Doc Rhombus is, for me, a great discovery and this so early in this year 2021. I played 2 songs to the person who will revise this text and he also immediately fell in love after listening to his 2 songs. If he continues to deliver such polished productions, it is clear that he has a bright future ahead and it is a safe bet that some people will discover this album in 10 or 15 years and wonder where they were in 2021. ? If you have the chance to listen to him and share this discovery with others, I strongly encourage you to do so.
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