Salad Daysby Mac DeMarco

I meant to add this but my favorite tracks on this album are brother, chamber of reflection and let her go. However, chamber of reflection really takes the cake because it really feels like Mac is incredibly at home with this style of synth based jams. It's also very melancholic and be labored which it fits perfectly with the lyrics about being alone. It is also a sonic detour from many of the tracks preceding it in that it has a whole different flavor which isn't present in Mac's music until after this album. This makes the track a significant stylistic turning point because Mac was taking the opportunities to explore new things in order to shake up his music and not do the same exact thing over and over again. I feel like it was a risk that paid off and really helped him break into the mainstream slight more than he had previously.

What I really enjoy the most about this album is that it doesn't follow any set rules on what it should or should not be. This album is excellent because it contains great songwriting and a wide variety of musical influences. I hear influences from 60's and 70's pop as well as classic rock and some beachy vibes as well. There are even elements of synth pop and lofi production qualities throughout. In fact, the whole album feels like you are at a beach concert when the sun setting. Nor only does it give that vibe but you can actually imagine being in that setting and it feels really raw and intimate because of some excellent mixing choices. The drums really stand out on this record as being fantastic because they are not boring but they don't overpower the overall vibe of the album. And the guitar are also on point on this record. They come across with a tone that is washed out but still interesting and engaging.

Also, a lot of my personal favorite melodies form Mac come through on this record as well. He really takes ownership of the songs and is engaging listeners from the forefront of the tracks. Instead of sinking into the sound, Mac really takes center stage on this album in a way that is different from he vocal deliveries on earlier projects. But it's not that his other work was bad by any means. It more that this album feels more intentional and has an attitude of purpose. It's clear that this album was a point of musical growth and maturity for Mac and I think he explored more of his own creative potential than he had previously.