Crest (studio album) by Bladee & Ecco2k

In recent years you'd struggle to find a stranger career trajectory than Bladee's. Since emerging from a kind of maximalist cloud rap, things have moved on to include indie rock, bizarre shouted vocals and club bangers. In the midst of all this sits Crest, a substantially more peaceful collaboration with Ecco2k (whose 2019 record e is much closer to the sound here). I think the substantial shifts in style form both artists allow Crest to sound unlike any other synthpop / dream pop records. The percussion makes the duo's connection to hip hop quite clear, as do some of the vocals which sit in a lower register. That being said, tracks like Girls Just Want to Have Fun and White Meadow feel like a departure from really anything I've heard. It makes Crest sound truly foreign, like it evokes a nature I'm unfamiliar with and landscapes I haven't seen and it's often really beautiful.

It's a case of everything clicking into place, Whitearmour's production is his best work and Bladee and Ecco's willingness to test their entire vocal range over it pays off dramatically. Particularly successful are the really high vocals, they have an almost brittle quality which shouldn't work but just sounds amazing. This reaches its pinnacle in Girls Just Want to Have Fun, a track where the vocals create both a sadness and a sense of wonder. It's almost matched by 5 Star Crest, a tour de force which ties together five distinct sections with its ethereal qualities and repeated lyrical themes. Yeses is maybe the most straightforward track here, but it doesn't sound at all out of place with its sparkly sound effects (who else even manages to make these work?!) and kind of unclear vocals. They're all examples of how Crest takes the elements that would generally work against traditionally work against pretty music (Bladee's often awkward vocal deliveries, the obvious strain both singers have in reaching the high notes and the elements of hip hop that both have a background in) and twists them into strengths by setting them to such otherworldly sounding music.

“Crest” is a hazy, euphoric religious experience. Whimsy instrumentals and half-sung vocals create an environment of light bliss. There is a thematic uniqueness with the focus on spirituality. Most of the album's lyricism is about the Buddhist distrust of the desire and affirmation of faith. Unfortunately, these ideas are not explored and they lose the meaningfulness they could have had. The album is pleasant but ultimately too fleeting to have a long-term impact.

Album Rating: 67.00
(603/9)

1.The Flag Is Raised. 70
2.5 Star Crest (4 Vattenrum). 68
3.White Meadow. 69
4.Faust. 63
5.Yeses (Red Cross). 66
6.Desire Is A Trap. 67
7.Chaos Follows. 63
8.Girls Just Want To Have Fun. 76
9.Heaven Sings. 61