OneWorldRio - Marcia’s Baby Boy

Review by Karl Magi

Overall Album Impressions

OtherWorldRio’s Marcia’s Baby Boy is an album for late night relaxing, but one that’s full of intriguing sounds, caressing melodies and ear-catching percussion. It is chilled out music that avoids being bland, instead creating deep relaxation and permeating me with pleasing emotion.

I enjoy the atmosphere that Marcia’s Baby Boy creates as it unfolds. There’s a delicate, soothing feeling that pours from the music and suffuses me as I listen. It has a hazy, summery light to it that emanates and wraps me in calm and ease. OtherWorldRio has a knack for projecting laid-back vibes and flowing peace in his music.

The melodies on Marcia's Baby Boy are another reason for my enjoyment of the album. There’s a gentleness, a wistfulness and a warmth to them that puts me in mind of warm and comforting days spent without worry. I enjoy the way in which OtherWorldRio conveys emotion through melodic writing and directly to my heart.

Percussion can make or break an album and it definitely makes this one. The drums are strong, guiding and shaping the music as they move underneath it. There’s a diversity of different tones and timbres in the drums that keeps them interesting and they form a heartbeat to the music that enlivens all of the other elements.

My Favourite Tracks Analyzed

“The Way” commences as elevated, trembling notes and a static crackling drift into open space, diffuse and drifting. Throbbing drums and metallic percussion are backed by  minor key whorls of organ like notes. Reverberating bass flows out in dense pulses below the ticking drums to guide the track along.

Vocal sounds with a cosmic swirl drift as open, round-sounding synths create a pleasingly luscious glow. Elevated, airy synth delicately falls down through the music carrying a wistful melodic pattern. Organ-like chords grow and drift out over rumbling, extended bass while vocal breaths also echo. The metallic percussion fades into high, distant notes as an uneven, hollow tapping sound ends the track.

Fat, rich bass and medium-high, glittering notes flicker in slowly wandering lines that radiate gleaming light to start “Take Flight.” Smoothly slipping bass is given energy by pulsing drums while while broad, flaring synth chords create energetic motion.

Springy, medium-high synth carries a jumping pattern that effectively explodes with dynamic strength as hard-hitting bass throbs. Metallic synth soars upwards to sparkle far above the guiding beat. Now active bass shifts below intertwined synth chords that glide above the propulsion underneath them and in a misty drift end the track.

“A Burst of Nostalgia” opens with unevenly shifting, distorted piano tumbling over deep, unctuous synth chords with a jazz organ sound. The drums form an easy-going rhythm in concert with solid bass as trickling, full-sounding synth moves in short bursts. Jazz organ chords rise to lift the music as broken sounds move past over the drum heartbeat.

Quick, fluttering sounds move over the interlocking chords. I enjoy the caressing emotion in this track as it is contrasted with distorted, roaming piano-like notes that add a tinge of discomfort. Low synth bursts in with a warmer feeling to contrast with the wandering, jazzy notes above it. The track ends on soft, distant piano and fades out.

Gossamer synth flows in trembling lines with an organ-like vibe along with choral sounds that drift by to begin “Pastel Twilight.” Softly guiding drums touch the music along with slowly circling, diffuse synths that do indeed feel pastel in their mellow tones. I am drawn to the dreaming, lost melody out over the steadily tapping drums and gruff bass that shifts far below.

Upwelling synth gives an impression of warm evening air blowing past my face as the drumbeat keeps the track’s pulse going. The main melody floats by like dandelion seeds on balmy air as they break briefly to drums before bass density. This track is settling and calm, full of the warmth of a slowly sinking summer sun as airy sounds sweep past and the underpinning drums shape the track as it ends.

“Unnamed Anthem” starts as creamy synth slips over equally luscious bass before wide, digital sounding synth carries a melody that is full of life.  Massive bass throbs far underneath as shimmering, medium-high synth descends in divided lines over a resonant drum sound.

Digital-sounding synth reverberates over the powerful drums and gargantuan bass. Fat, medium-high synth carries a melody with majesty and a tinge of shadow. Popping drums keep up their bouncing pattern and huge bass falls down below while a twisting, slipping sound flows through and the track ends.

Flanging, bending synth twists over a subtly swirling background as drums pulse evenly to kick off “Water Colors.” String-like, metallic synth cascades and flashes in a lively pattern out over bursting, stuttering drums and heavy bass that growls far below.

Misty synths intertwine and trail tendrils as tight, high synth flickers to create a soothing impression I enjoy. The hollow, breathy background moves in a laid back flow over rumbling bass and guiding drums. A distant glow fills the music and  string-like synth tumbles through the music in aching, flashing motion over incredibly low bass sounds.

“Handball Courts & Bicycle Shorts” starts off with sharp-edged sounds moving in a slowly unfurling line. Bright, glimmering synth carries a glowing melodic pattern with a descending motion. A softly touching, guiding drumbeat and bursts of hard-edged bass cut in and tremble.

Medium-high, flaring synth pulses in uneven patterns that echo out above quick bass pulses that coalesce into a more steady motion. Lambent synths sweep through the music, easily undulating to create a summery impression. Full-sounding, warm synth is tinged by twinkling chimes that sparkle out over the shaping drumbeat.

Slightly aching, nasal sounding synth moves in a repeating melodic pattern that has melancholy quality to bring “Snake Charmer” into existence. Stutter-stepping drums create a hypnotic beat as elevated, flaring chimes form a textural glimmer. Extended synth chords vibrate out with a taut feeling as cosmically swirling synth unfolds with a glittering light.

I am enamoured of the raised, sparkling chimes that move over woodwind-like synth with a woodsy sound carrying a darkly pained melodic pattern. Underneath it all, the beat keeps throbbing and stuttering as the chiming synth carries an expressive musical pattern, deep bass adding support far below before silence falls.

“Liminal Pool Party” comes to life as fragile, diffuse synth chords with a minor key quality move into open space. Ticking drums guide the music onward while hazy synths drift along in whorls around it. Reverberating synth with misty feeling trembles along in a lightly touching melodic pattern while hollow drums shape the music.

Wide, delicate arpeggios circle over the pulsing beat and the high synth carries slowly undulating notes over the drum motion. I enjoy the airy quality of the full synths moving in expanding notes that sweep along with ease.The drums become widely spaced, echoing out in a steadily ticking motion before the track ends.

Bell-like jazz organ moves in quick snippets as the broad, slowly uneven drumbeat shifts  in a vaguely jerky motion to begin “Lucky 13.” A steady metallic tapping forms a pulse and the jazz organ chords are rounded and rich.

Gleaming chimes carry a raised pattern that radiates light as xylophone-like sounds with a deep timbre move in. I enjoy the way in which the guitar-like synth carries a roaming and distorted metallic pattern before the music stops.

Conclusion

Marcia’s Baby Boy is a perfect soundtrack to a quiet evening in. OtherWorldRio creates vibe-y, cool and atmosphere-drenched synth music that both entertains and relaxes. I thoroughly enjoyed the feeling of this album!