Blackpoole - Midnight in L.A.

Review by Karl Magi

Overall Album Impressions

Blackpoole’s Midnight in L.A. unfolds the story of the overwhelming connection between two people and the way in which their lives interact as love grows. Blackpoole tells this story through narration and music, seamlessly combining the two elements into one extensive exploration of how a relationship can become powerfully intimate when the connection is right. All of the guest artists bring their talents to bear on the storytelling while Blackpoole composes a musical backdrop that weaves together affection, emotional depth, and living dynamism. The end result is an atmospheric journey from meeting to eventual connection, painted by synth sounds.

At Midnight in L.A.’s core are the guest performances. Jon White brings his expressive voice to the spoken word parts of the album, helping to tell the story with richness and depth. Wassim Rahmani works instrumental sorcery on the guitar, carrying the musical moments which define the story and contributing blazing solos. Luci Rivas has a hushed, soulful vocal style which captures the emotion within the story. She also contributes an earnest spoken word performance as Kate. Each of the contributors add important pieces to the overall sonic puzzle.

Blackpoole has a knack for composing beautifully melodic tracks with gorgeous harmonies and well-crafted sonic imagery. He uses the wide-ranging synth palette to paint streets glistening with rain, the soft caresses of lovers, and the electric buzz of L.A. at night. His melodies are full of sincere emotion and sensations that further illustrate the love story between Chris and Kate. There’s an honesty within his music that compels me, making me feel a connection to the characters in the story as it expands and elaborates.

I enjoy Midnight in L.A.’s concept as I’ve long been interested in the combination of spoken word with musical segments to tell an album’s story. I think that the way in which this project has been approached has resulted in a well-thought-out bond between the two elements that keeps me listening.

My Favourite Tracks Analyzed

“Beach Sunset” starts off as oceanic waves wash above an aquatically serene synth which grows in aquamarine strength. Wassim Rahmani weaves a melody full of expressive intensity, his guitar growling with freedom and strength. The drums add energy while the chugging guitar gives the music muscled weight.

As a guitar solo rings out, the music is permeated with tender but strong emotion, as chiming notes sparkle like seafoam. I enjoy the way in which Wassim Rahmani’s guitar fills me with liberation and lightness. The beat is smooth and the guitar carries the feeling of the slowly setting sun, echoing with deep feeling. The lilting pattern throbs as the guitarist unleashes another affecting solo, demonstrating his skill emphatically and beautifully, before the music stops.

An illuminating synth carries a tautly undulating melodic pattern that volleys back and forth to commence “Cityscapes.” As it moves, melancholy suffuses the bright notes and a kick drum punches out steadily. A hypnotic quality fills the main melody, creating a sense of drifting through bright city lights.

The rhythm is compelling as Wassim Rahmani adds a blues melody that calls to mind a car sliding down midnight pavement, caught in the phosphorescent glow of street lights. The oscillating pattern is trance-like while Wassim Rahmani unleashes a nocturnal dream, his guitar painting imagery in my mind.

As the yellow lines roll under my wheels, the city throbs around me, full of love and pain. The drums are smooth while the distant synth flashes light on skyscrapers and the guitar evokes the mingled sensations which define a city at night before the track comes to a stop.

“The Promise” begins with Wassim Rahmani’s fat-toned guitar calling out with uplifting energy as swelling sounds are joined by glistening tones which glow brightly. The synth sings with positivity as the guitar carries a sensation of joyful hope, moving me along with it.

Wassim Rahmani unleashes a tide of energizing sound as the synth doubles it, adding further sunlight. A tinge of melancholy touches the otherwise celebratory guitar melody, adding balance. The drums and bass lock into a steady heartbeat while the guitar sings out with warming happiness.

Solar luminosity supports the guitar as it unfolds in lines full of encouragement. Wassim Rahmani’s playing is full of heart and soul, embodying the overall tenor of the track. As the ticking cadence shapes the music, the intricate guitar draws pictures of a blue sky day before the music ends.

Broadly swelling, slowly undulating synth joins bright chimes to open “Neon Dream.” Luci Rivas captures the lyrics with whispering tenderness, carrying the dreamy melody above luminous tones that glimmer. Percussion moves gently like a heartbeat as her voice seizes my soul with its vulnerability. The rebounding percussive pulse adds shape while a cascade of streetlight luminosity drifts in the distance.

The chorus glides with ethereal lightness as city-skyline glow rises in synth shimmering around it. Wordless vocals wrap me with soothing sensations while lightly shimmering tones ascend with the graceful lyrics. As the song closes, the background casts a spell and Luci Rivas conveys every ounce of emotion before silence falls.

“Beneath the neon glow, where the colors dance,” our storyteller saw the subject “like fate’s last chance.” As their eyes met, time froze with “a touch of magic, a love so real.”

Now that person departs, and she clings “to the memory of you in the neon light.” Each step away cuts into her soul. She admits, “I’m lost in this love, I’m losing control.” She waits in “this neon dream where the world fades away, and it’s just you and me.”

The night is quiet, but warmth lingers: “The city hums, I hear your voice, call me back to the sweetest choice.” Tracing a name in the rain’s mist, she feels love whisper like “an echo in vain.” Despite absence, they remain together: “In this neon world, we will never be apart.”

“Face to Face” begins with warm tones rippling like a summer breeze as the guitar unfurls with silky elegance. Echoing lines flow with a liquid grace, while drums give a firm edge beneath the jazz-inflected patterns. A distant synth adds delicacy as the guitar glows with golden radiance.

The bottom end pulses smoothly under the elevated guitar, sliding like the sun into an endless sky, celebrating life with youthful exuberance. Drums rebound as refulgent tones shine like morning light. The guitarist demonstrates masterful touch, transmitting the music’s essence with fidelity and passion. The main melody flickers with tenderness before the track gently closes.

Pure, soothing emotion radiates from the heartwarming synth to start “Midnight in LA.” undulation cruises with dense weight as the electric piano covers the track in gentling emotion, like the phosphorescent glow of streetlights.

The saxophone carries a jazz-inflected melodic motif, full of dreamy clouds and half-seen points of city light. The percussive pattern brushes softly while the bass oscillates, and the elevated synth glows like the pink of a city night, silhouetted against distant stars.

Shining notes, like violins, slip with the surreal float of passing neon in car windows. A gossamer synth trails through the music in peaceful expression before the saxophone captures my heart with its lush tones, speaking of overlooking the flickering firmament of a city at night.

Chiming notes drift with unmitigated softness, like a lover’s hand in mine as we watch the night unfold above the city far below. The electric piano glides with laid-back simplicity, conjuring images of cruising down night streets and feeling peace permeate every pore. Once again, the saxophone sobs with touching emotion before the track finishes.

“Do You Remember?” begins as colours spill from iridescent synth, while Luci Rivas’ breaths are full of warming emotion. The drums and bass unfold with velvety smoothness as the vocal melody swirls like clouds above a rainy city.

As Luci Rivas’ reaches out with her whisper-warm voice, my heart is touched by the sincerity of her feelings. In the distance, sparkling notes slide through the music with tender luminosity, reflecting like pools of water after the clouds have parted.

The vocals are filled with such deep gentleness as they imbue the song with trembling affection. A steady pulse throbs, while the delicate performance captures the lyrics with truthful care.

The chorus caresses and glides as the background flickers like mid-afternoon sun piercing a cloudy sky. Luci Rivas’ lets her voice slip out with calm love as the drums pulsate and the vocals glide like golden light across office towers before the music grows quiet.

As urban lights “paint the sky in pink and blue,” the narrator thinks of the song’s subject at midnight. She sees “neon colors in the rain” and realizes nothing will ever be the same again. Walking down the boulevard, she can “still see us dancing through the night, in a dream we swore would never end.” The other person remains in her heart and is “heaven-sent.”

Our storyteller asks if the song’s subject remembers the promises they made and kept, along with the deep kisses they shared. She wonders if the other person still remembers her. As neon signs glowed, “your shadow slowly danced with mine, your soft whisper is still in my ear,” radiating a luminous vision of love.

The two of them “wrote our names in clouds of steam” as their hearts were alive inside a never-ending dream. Their fingers were “locked in secret lines, like magic leaving all sad behind.”

Oscillating bass moves with gossamer notes trembling through the music to kick off “Traces Of You.” Pattering percussion moves with a shiny melody that radiates hope and remembrance with equal affection, while the low tones move in steady motion. As the melody unfolds, hints of sadness tinge it, despite the sensation of caring within it.

Below the other elements, dense weight moves forward while the higher notes trace like fingers across skin. A sensation of delicate illumination pours from the higher tones and a feeling of being held close moves past. The track evokes feelings of absence and caring, fading away into twilight. Radiant notes shine with tenderness while the percussion breaks and the heavy sounds below add shape before the track ends with dreamily gliding tones slipping into silence.

Story Summary

Malibu Beach, July 1986: Chris, an introvert who spends his days composing music and watching life from the sidelines, leaves the coast for The Skyline, a neon-drenched rooftop club. As the lights strobe and synths sing, he sees the radiant Kate and their first meeting makes a palpable impression. The next morning, they share a sincere phone call, before deciding to meet again, away from the club. After meeting at an intimate café, they talk for hours and eventually kiss. The romantic evening evaporates Chris’ reserve and they realize they’re falling deeply for one another. The relationship that started with a chance meeting blossomed into an all encompassing relationship.

Conclusion

Through words and music, Midnight in L.A. carries listeners on a journey through loneliness to love. The way in which the guest performers and Blackpoole weave the tale is charming and full of uplifting emotion. In this dark world, this album creates a little light.