To See The Next Part Of The Dream - Parannoul: Review
Parannoul
is an anonymous Korean artist who began attracting tons of attention in online music circles in the month after this record came out. While it is technically his 2nd record it is the first many have heard of his lo-fi bedroom blend of shoegaze and indie music sounds with classic emo lyricism.
Review By Lav:
This record has become the first real underground darling of 2021 so far when it first emerged about a month ago with no real press or attention to speak of. Since then I've seen it emerge on music sites and be discussed by indie fans and I was hoping to wait until the record was released on streaming services to talk about it. Unfortunately it looks like that isn't going to happen any time soon so I figured I should go ahead and jump on the bandwagon and talk about the record. While that phraseology may make it seem like this was some kind of chore or obligation I assure you it isn't, To See The Next Part Of The Dream is easily one of the best records I've heard this year so far.
Given that this record was released essentially anonymously all we really have to go on judging it is the sound of the music and the description given to the record on Bandcamp. This paints the picture of a concept album dealing with the aimless depression of adulthood and rich nostalgia of youth that appears to have been recorded by just one person in a bedroom style. That lo-fi mixing and recording approach is apparent right out of the gate on opening track Beautiful World. The song is such a rousing intro with drums that absolutely explode out of the mix alongside the wailing shoegaze guitars that are so loud but feel so blissful. The lyricism is so bleak and self-deprecating and yet the hook soars into the song with such a blissful positivity that it almost feels like an unsettling moment of false relief and I can't get enough of the combination of the catchy refrain with what appears to be such an eerie connotation.
The records first 4 tracks are essentially perfect and it doesn't waste any time getting even more intense on Excuse. It kicks off in a more jagged way with jittery raw drumming and a harsher guitar passage. The song is edgier than the opener with a grueling guitar riff and those drums constantly interrupting everything on the verses. There is yet another soaring but tragically beautiful hook that highlights the songs contrast between the hazy drifting vocal samples glamorizing the instrumental and the emo tinged lyricism that is so essential to the tracks meaning. Analog Sentimentalism is one of the records most forlorn songs with a wandering synth line that reminds me of video game music from the 2000's of all things. It is speedy but incredibly dreamy and the lyrics fittingly delve into nostalgia and memories all related to one clearly important person. I'm so impressed by the tracks emotion and vulnerability while it maintains an up-tempo intensity.
White Ceiling is a track that needs a breakdown all its own. It kicks off with an absolutely neurotic arrangement of cell phone and watch alarms that is unsettling right out of the gate before jumping into this absolutely pop punk riff. The vocals are playing it much straighter here and it comes with a breakdown featuring some sugary blown out synths that all adds up to a song with an accessible first half. The second half of the songs 10 minute runtime is where it truly shines when the oppressive drums return to the mix and the lyrics get even more obscured in a way that reminds me of one of my favorite bands of all time, The Radio Dept. The back half is predominately made up by a long winded but emotionally gripping breakdown that completely overwhelms and envelops me. By this point in the song it's easy to completely forget about where it started but then those same alarms return back into the fold to help guide the song to its conclusion.
Youth Rebellion is a track that seems to take a more direct approach to the albums nostalgic feel and lyrical themes calling directly on a return to a younger time when everything was better. It also almost paradoxically lambasts the fake, blissful portrayals of youth in the media for setting unrealistic expectations. I really enjoy the long instrumental passage on the back half of the song as it slowly wraps these sweet guitars into a wall of fuzzy distorted mess across a few minutes. The sound feels like its mirroring the complicated views on youth with its sonic elements, all before reintroducing its core refrain in a beautifully intense way right at the end of the song. Chicken is a slower much more apologetic track with sullen vocals and a much more forgiving mix. The sliding guitars give the song a hazy dreamlike sensation that I love. While it may not be one of the best compositions here it does have what I would call a purposeful sloppiness to it that makes it very emotive despite having an outro that is content with taking its time.
The closing track I Can Feel My Heart Touching You is a remarkable conclusion to the album. It's another moment that feels hugely Radio Dept. influenced right out of the gate and it makes for a perfect influence to take in crafting the emotional catharsis to this record. While the instrumentation is still ridiculously loud and distorted it comes at you in waves of sheer bliss throughout the songs dynamic composition. This is paired with the perfect lyricism of someone who has truly grown, learned and changed across the records emotional storyline and it all makes for something that feels so definite in its finality.
Age Of Fluctuation is the records 2nd 10 minute song and it starts off more conventionally to the rest of the record with more nostalgic dense soundscapes. The song transitions a quiet verse reflecting on society into a brash instrumental eruption. I will say that some of the screamed vocals that pop up on the track aren't necessarily my favorite on the record I think they are clipping badly and it hurts the emotion of the performance a bit. This song contains some of the most direct and anguished lyricism on the album and they help round out its interesting themes, I only wish they had been performed more like some of the other effective emotional moments throughout.
There's only two more tracks on the record I haven't talked about and while neither of them are necessarily bad they do feel incredibly insignificant compared to everything else here. The title track To See The Next Part Of The Dream has a long introduction built around a dreamy atmosphere rich with vocal samples. There is a totally unexpected explosion of percussion that I should be used to at this point but I'm still not. The vocals are absolutely buried in the mix and I wish they were a little bit more prominent because this is really the only point on the record where I have to actually strain to make them out at all. Extra Story is the records shortest song and a pseudo acoustic cut that explores the same brand of 20 something aimlessness that informs so much great indie music. I wish it had a touch of sonic diversity somewhere in its runtime but overall I think its fine given how brief it is.
To See The Next Part Of The Dream appears to be the next in a list of timeless indie records that use blissful noise to dive into the nostalgic retrospection on youth. Too aimless to be Car Seat Headrest and too depressed to be The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart it's a record born of contradictions that uses them as inspiration rather than a crutch. It's one of the loudest albums I've heard this year yet it carries an ethereal beauty to nearly all of its track. It feature tragic and self-deprecating lyricism over top of a dense array of blissful soundscapes. Yet I think it's most impressive contradiction is making these in the moment pieces of hazy insane instrumentation feel so impassioned while fitting into one impactful composition after another. The record perfectly balances its youthful energy with veteran musicality that only works to heighten its societal critiques, tragic manifestations and vibrant personality. While the recording style and mixing of this record may be a hurdle to overcome for some it is crucial to the foundation of what makes it so emotionally relatable in its portrayal of both passionate and depressing nostalgia. With very few complaints to be found anywhere in the tracklist and a versatile array of themes, sounds and compositions I think it's safe to say that this is one of the best albums of 2021, and everyone should hear it. 9/10
