Acid City Nuns – The Engine
Acid City Nuns – The Engine – Album Review
If there’s one thing I learned in reviewing a handful of singles from Acid City Nuns back in the middle of 2021, it’s that you’d never be able to accurately predict what the heck this crazy crew would be up to next. So heck yeah, believe me when I tell ya, pushing play on The Engine and hearing the throwback R&B/Pop vibes they created for “I Love The Things That You Do” was definitely not what I was expecting. But oh so welcome! Honestly, it’s a freakin’ beautiful tune. Filled to the brim with sweetness, soul, and loving intentions, “I Love The Things That You Do” flies by quickly at less than ninety-seconds in length, but it’s a prime example of the way a delightful surprise can make your freakin’ day when it comes to the art of makin’ music. I didn’t know how much I needed “I Love The Things That You Do,” before, but I definitely do now. Definitely an enticing, warm & welcoming start to this album as The Engine revs up.
As you slide on into the second tune and synthesizers start bringing the bright & sunshiny vibes into the sound of this album, you can’t really help but notice the old-school roots of music that would play a role in a song like “If You’re Ever Lonely.” We’ve been here before and we’ve lived through it…the question becomes whether or not the ACN is attempting to create a full-scale revival of the throwback Pop/Soul sound. You can throw a bit of Disco-era vibes in the mix too when it comes to “If You’re Ever Lonely,” though it’s fair to say they’re slyly placed within the rest of what you’ll hear. If you know what you’re listening to, you’ll hear the history. Is it relevant for today? Is it what the people out there are looking for on their playlists? That’s much harder to say when it comes right down to it. I’m always looking for something different than what’s out there already on my own playlists, and even though we’ve been to places like “If You’re Ever Lonely” in the past, it’s not really what’s out there right now in the present, so to be honest, I’m oddly into it. I’m not here to tell ya that this is my favorite cut on the record, that it’s the Acid City Nuns at their very best, or even that it’s all that new to your speakers – it’s really none of these things when it comes right down to it, but I found that didn’t stop me from spinning it anyways.
I’m a bit more into the stylistically soulful vibes you’ll hear on “Just Say So,” which is essentially one of the most understated sounds you’ll likely hear this year, but also extremely well put together and tight as tight can be. Think of it like the moodier cousin to a track like “If You’re Ever Lonely” – so like, all that sunshine is replaced with a cloudier feeling, but not like, in an unhappy or unpleasant way if that makes any sense to ya. I felt like “Just Say So” was a real soul-soothing type of tune…like a meditative mantra of sorts…calming, inviting, and yet that’s mainly derived from the music itself. Lyrically, you could argue that “Just Say So” dives into more substantial and contemplative terrain that may or may not be positive in terms of how you perceive it or where it’ll take your mind. I dig that kind of ambiguity in the music I listen to…I personally think there’s a whole lot of value in the interpretive nature of lyricism. Whether it’s our own perception or projection that creates what we ‘think’ a song is about, or it’s the literal interpretation of what something truly means, I honestly feel like you get something out of it either way you slice it. It’s fun to think we know what anything is really about when we couldn’t actually know unless we wrote it, and theorizing is another way to show that we’re truly listening. Indifference is the only thing you ever wanna avoid when it comes to art or music, because in that case, no one’s talking.
For my money, I’m always gonna be into tracks like “Conversation 1” and the subsequent conversations you’ll find scattered throughout this lineup. We’re talkin’ about the value of platonic relationships in this one, at least to a degree, with a seriously ominous vibe to go along with it. Again, there’s a largely interpretive message threaded into this one – on the one hand, you’ve got a situation where a relationship of sorts has broken done & someone has left someone else, and on the other hand, you’ve got nothing but good things being said about all that has been restored through this unique relationship. I’m all about Spoken Word stuff to begin with, but even more so when it’s as interesting and complex as “Conversation 1” is. I look at tracks like this like an audible puzzle that is designed for us to figure out.
The Engine is about as eclectic as it gets. You’ve just gone from the creepy interpretive moodiness of a track like “Conversation 1” back into the sunshine sounds you experienced earlier, only this time on “Fool For The Girl.” This switch in sound is like the audio equivalent of leaving the darkness of a movie theater and heading back out into the daylight. I don’t know for a fact that the variation is going to be a welcome thing for everyone…we’re basically talking about the complete polar opposites of sound at work, and that’s a lot for the average everyday listener to absorb without some degree of hesitation. I include myself in that assessment…I rubbed my eyes as I finished listening to “Conversation 1” and “Fool For The Girl” hit me in the face, and I wasn’t entirely sure I was ready to flip from one side of sound to the other without some kind of gradual bridge between the massive chasm of sound you find in these tracks back-to-back. I don’t mind the melody, I don’t mind the upbeat vibe, I don’t love the lyricism of “Fool For The Girl” at all though…we’re talkin’ way too adherent to a rhyme-scheme for my own personal taste – but…I really do dig the main hook of the title in the chorus. So…yeah…a little good & a lot that I’d change I guess…ultimately, I think this is one of the most polarizing transitions on the album.
As the Spoken Word thread continues with “Conversation 2” – again, let me be clear – I’d take an entire record FILLED with this stuff and nothing more. I’m not as sure about the effect of having a regular style of songs in this lineup with these in between…I suspect that’s gonna work for some and not for others, or at the very least create this separation between those of us that really love Spoken Word and those that just wanna hear songs they can sing along with. For me, there’s a whole lot of art in tracks like these conversation-based tunes. From the way the sound seems to be revealed in drips of mystery to us, or the messages that are being communicated, I love what I’m hearing in a track like “Conversation 2.” I suppose you could argue this track largely deals with material possessions and whether or not they’re important to us as individuals. I personally dig the conclusion that “Conversation 2” reaches and find myself agreeing with what’s being said…so to be truthful, that might make a track like this even more appealing to me than it might be to someone else. Fundamentally, I’d hope that we’d all agree with what’s included in this kind of message at the end of the day but I’ve got plenty of proof otherwise. So who knows…maybe that matters, maybe it doesn’t, maybe we all just appreciate Spoken Word tunes for a variety of reasons and we don’t really need to identify with what’s being said cause it just sounds freakin’ cool. Maybe it does matter, or maybe Spoken Word is boring to other listeners – I don’t know.
“Time Alone” is a lot more of a palatable switch in direction to me than something like “Fool For The Girl” was earlier on. Is that just me? You feelin’ the same? I like speaking out into the void. Anyhow. I’d listen to “Time Alone” any day of the week and twice on Sundays y’all – this jazzy track hits the spot. It’s also technically the first instrumental we’ve experienced on The Engine as well, and it should certainly be noted that this project is absolutely capable of keeping you captivated without the use of a single word when it wants to. As I mentioned in the last review I wrote about Acid City Nuns, there are basically no details out there on what or who creates this music you’re listening to…and personally, I love that added element of mystery. We live in a world filled with the need for credit and monetization beyond what art really calls out for, and ACN basically gives the middle finger to all that & tells you to just enjoy the music and the moment…I’m here for it. “Time Alone” is easily right up there with the best of the best of what you’ll find on this record in my opinion – this instrumental is where it’s at y’all, 100%.
“Time Alone” also sets us up to smoothly glide straight into “Tabula Rasa (Midnight)” with ease, and having these two tracks appear back-to-back in this lineup gives The Engine a bulletproof mid-section as it heads towards its final third. Think of THAT for a second dear readers, dear friends – you almost never hear of the strengths of an album being found in the MIDDLE…it’s almost always in the beginning or in the end. Which don’t get me wrong, ain’t a bad strategy, I’m just saying to find such remarkable tunes in the middle of an album is genuinely refreshing and as unpredictable as I’ve been telling ya that ACN is from the get-go here. Someone in this crew knows how to do Jazz right though…and every moment they get to make an impression on us with instrumental tunes, they maximize their potential impact. I absolutely adore the sound of both “Time Alone” and “Tabula Rasa (Midnight).” The fact that we get’em one after the other on this album just makes’em this part of the album all the more sweet. I couldn’t tell ya which I preferred over the other, I think they’re both completely incredible songs, and they raise the stakes for what makes The Engine great to listen to. For real – these are flawless tunes.
“Conversation 3” is the shortest of the conversations you’ll find on this album, and it takes on the perception of what evil is and isn’t. I’ve made my case for these tunes already, and I certainly feel just as strongly towards this one as I have the other. These conversations are great! I dig the philosophy that is put into each of’em, and I appreciate having these thought-provoking segues laced into the lineup of tracks on this record. I maintain that I don’t know for sure if it’ll work for everyone, and there are definitely times where it seems easier to enjoy the fluctuation between styles of sound than others – but if this is the way that I get access to these freakishly kickass moments in music, then so be it I say!
While we might disagree on whether or not this next track is “Faultless,” I still appreciate where they’re coming from. I like the harmonies in the vocals, but I do feel like there are still opportunities in there for the performance of’em to level-up and I still have issues with a bit of the lyricism in terms of it reaching for that rhyming word more than the right one, though I’d be the first to admit it’s a lot more tolerable in that regard than what we experienced with “Fool For The Girl” earlier on in the lineup. “Faultless” has some ups and downs to it…I dig the laidback & contemplative vibe it has, but I also feel like that’s also what costs this track a little bit too in terms of the final results in what we hear. Things could be a bit more sharp, a bit more present, a bit less dreamy, hazy, and faded…if anything, “Faultless” is almost so laidback that there’s risk involved, you feel me? So while I ain’t hatin’ on it to the point where I’d wanna change the channel, it’s largely what’s happening in the background that keeps me engaged with this one as opposed to what’s happening in the lead. Up to Acid City Nuns to decide if that’s the effect they were going for or what they’d want…and if it’s not, then more objectivity is needed when creating an album’s finalized lineup. Real brutality is required when it comes to making a set-list that endures.
Thankfully, we’re just a stone’s throw away from “Carribean Dream,” which is fresh AF and has the juice. Acid City Nuns have shone supremely bright with the instrumentals found on The Engine, and I think at this point, I’ve gotta say, I enjoy these wordless tunes even more than I’ve been diggin’ on the Spoken Word cuts. Both of those styles, the instrumentals and Spoken Word tunes have beaten the tracks with singing ten-to-one for my own personal taste, but it should be interesting to see what the verdict would be in the court of public opinion. It’s generally a lot easier for the masses to absorb tracks they can sing along with – but c’mon y’all…let’s be real here – you can’t beat songs like “Time Alone,” “Tabula Rasa (Midnight)” or “Caribbean Dream” right? I try not to lay things out too plainly or say this or that is any better than the other in most things I write about – but some things are just completely undeniable! To not say how extraordinary these instrumental cuts on The Engine have been would be lying by omission – ACN should be recognized for the brilliance they’ve been creating, and so that’s what I’m doin’ here. “Caribbean Dream” is another one of the cuts on this album that no one should miss and a song that speaks volumes on behalf of the superb sound selection that you’ll discover in listening to The Engine. This is the longest track on the record at 4:20 in length, and I wouldn’t have complained if it was twice as long as it is. When a moment is as right as this one is, you feel it within every ticking second you hear.
“Conversation 4” was every bit as satisfying as the rest of course. I find it extremely interesting that all the vibes that come along with these Spoken Word tunes are eerie and creepy in comparison to the rest of what you’ll find on The Engine, and I’d assume that in itself is saying something metaphorically. I think you’ll find “Conversation 4” really shows that…hmm…that like…somewhat indecisive nature of the way that we think…the way that we go back & forth with our thoughts and how we try to reason things out in real time, often inconclusively. “Conversation 4” sounds like many of the drug trips I’ve been on throughout my years…stumbling upon profound ideas at points, questioning wisdom and things I’ve learned in others – “I’ve got a lot of thinking to do still.” I still feel that way, and I feel like I’m a million years removed from the heyday of my acid years. Mind you, not everyone out there needs drugs like I did in order to reach a more refined state of being…I’m just giving you my take on it. “Listening is more important than anything” is the quote of all quotes here though, in my opinion – I genuinely think that’s the piece of the puzzle that’s missing the most from present-day humanity – we’re not listening anymore. Now we’re just shouting over-top of each other, assuming that the loudest voice wins when usually the loudest voice belongs to a complete and total asshole. “Stop doing bullshit,” as Acid City Nuns will tell ya in “Conversation 4” – but to further the point that’s being made, stop tolerating it too.
Finishing the new record off with “Synthesis” and bringin’ it back to a synthesized beat that’s got a wildly upbeat vibe to it and spark to its old-school energy – what else can be said, Acid City Nuns have been every bit as unpredictable as I told ya they’d be right from the very start. I mean, I had the advantage of knowing what you’d be in-store for by that point, but you get it…they live up to their reputation and have taught us all to expect the unexpected with their music. “Synthesis” plays like an outro to an 90s show…like you can practically see the credits rolling onscreen in your mind as it carries on. I’m not gonna be the guy to claim that this instrumental track measures up to the others you’ll find on The Engine, but it’s still a damn good time and an uplifting sound to have gone out on. To be truthful, I’m already looking forward to whatever it is the Acid City Nuns comes up with next – I dig on those out there that wield the art of surprise like the sword it’s meant to be, and this project certainly does that. You never know what you’re gonna get by pushing play on an ACN record, and The Engine has proven that to be true track after track. I’m here for it. The Engine roars to life with the creativity you’ll find on it, and has no problem whatsoever doling out the entertainment you wanna hear with inspired variety.
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