I've been keenly aware of up-and-coming Electro-R&B/Pop artist Mystery Skulls for several months now, having been exposed to a promo single off his debut album Forever called Number 1, which was notable for featuring both famous disco guitarist and friend to all electronic bands Nile Rodgers and R&B singer Brandy. It was a catchy, if not generic sounding upbeat R&B song with some flair. However, last week I was made aware of the rest of Mystery Skulls' album, and the fantastic animated video for the single Ghost, and now I'm convinced this album is a force to be reckoned with and needed to show it off to all of you.
Like I mentioned, Forever is the first album from Mystery Skulls, though it's brainchild Luis Dubuc has been around for awhile with different projects since the early 00's. Forever is an ambitious album and is exactly the kind of thing I really dig; slices of R&B, Pop, Disco and Soul with a predominant Electronic base and history rather than Hip-Hop oriented. While I don't think there is anything wrong with R&B traditionally being Hip-Hop or even Funk or Blues based, I was a kid raised in the electronic scenes of the late 90's and early 00's and when those influences cross-over to other genres of modern music like Electro has for the last decade or so I get more excited about the new combos more than I do the originators.
Daft Punk can easily be identified as one of Mystery Skulls biggest electronic inspirations, with some of the harder Electro and Disco based beats. One of my personal favorites on the album, Paralyzed, has a main synth riff that sounds like a combination of the secondary, end riff in Da Funk and Derezzed. One song, When I'm With You, I swear took a little synth rhythm from Eiffel 65 and if that is where he got the inspiration I would be so incredibly pleased. Dubuc has a very blue-eyed soul sound to his voice similar to the take the Black Keys take on their newest album, Turn Blue, and a cadence that places him definitely in this era and no sooner. The majority of Forever combines this voice with a particularly fun turn of phrase, some hard synth lines, crunchy basses and strong kick drums. On some songs however, Dubuc switches flavors up and tries to go more R&B or Disco-y, and strings and guitars are much more prevalent than kick drums or synths.
That flavor turn is most evident in Magic and Number 1, the two songs that prominently feature both Nile Rodgers on guitar and Brandy on vocals. Both songs, while enjoyable, I find lacking compared to the Electro-oriented Pop of the rest of the album. Rodgers has a very distinct playing style that, while very pleasing to hear, can sound very same-y, song to song, and it becomes more about what you put around that guitar that makes it different. Brandy does a great job and adds a level of credibility to the songs with her vocals, but unfortunately the lyrics on these two songs happen to be the most repetitive and least substantive. On their own, very good, comfortable songs for the genre, but on an album that has so many other high points there has to be a low point and for me these two are it.
The real star of the album is the track Ghost, which combines a really infectious Electro-beat, House-y Synths and super catchy vocals. This song is the defining track of the album. If you hear this song and like it, you'll love the album. It really embodies the main influences and directions that Dubuc is trying to accomplish with this album, and it's a sound I really, really enjoy. It doesn't hurt that a super groovy animated music video for it is currently taking the internet by storm.
I think the only other real criticism I have of the album is a nitpick, and it's the amount of swearing on this 41 minute, 11 track album. I know it sounds weird, but the amount of times Dubuc says fuck and shit in the album was a little bit of a detractor for me. While it does make him sound more of this era in his songwriting process, it to me sometimes just felt a little lazy, like he could've found something better to fill that word space in than fuck, but it really is a nitpick. I know I actually enjoy it in the song Paralyzed when Dubuc brings the song down to silence, says "fuck it" and the song breaks out into an instrumental interlude.
Overall, this is a stellar debut from Mystery Skulls and I can't wait for the vinyl release of Forever and whatever he has planned next. Oh, and stay tuned to the blog for some exciting news (hint, we have a new contributor!)
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