BROCK – “WONDERFUL CREATURE” / “Gunphree & Flight”

BROCK – “WONDERFUL CREATURE” / “Gunphree & Flight” – Singles Review

Alright…where did we leave off?  Right!  BROCK was in the building…or, the speakers/screens at least…you get the idea – it’s been a while, but we’re glad to have the guy back in action doin’ what he does best.  We just checked out some of his latest singles, “OBEY” & Heart Beat” in review, and now we’ve got a couple more to make some comments on, with “WONDERFUL CREATURE” & “Gunphree & Flight” in the mix today.

Really dig the amount of space in the mix on “WONDERFUL CREATURE” – this song sounds absolutely MASSIVE right from the get-go.  Not entirely sure what it is, but to me, it sounds like BROCK has done something just a little different here to achieve the results he has…and all I can tell the guy, is that whatever that is, I’d be taking another look at it to see how I’d be able to do it again.  Obviously within the framework of a totally different idea, but there’s a clarity here in this mix that makes for a sensational cut to listen to.  I’m assuming he knows that, because for starters, the guy’s got an amazing ear for sound, but beyond that, “WONDERFUL CREATURE” was actually released back on Christmas in 2023 – so it’s not like this cut’s a new one, it’s just a hell of a reliable one.  Where BROCK’s music tends to get a little bit tricky is in discerning which track does/doesn’t have the kind of hooks required to make a specific track memorable.  He does a ton to make himself a memorable artist, and even without the use of words, I feel like I could easily pick out a BROCK track blindfolded on a big ol’ list of other Electro artists, because he’s got a whole lot of signature sound that translates right across the board in his material.  He’s another one of those, if you like something you’ll like it all type of artists, and that’s obviously a good thing in the long run.  That being said, if you’re looking at tracks on an individual basis, even cuts as stellar to listen to as “WONDERFUL CREATURE” is, you could easily make the argument that it’s still missing that major standout element in a musical hook that makes you drop everything to listen.  So you kind of have to examine singles like these from a different lens.  I’d tell ya that a track like “WONDERFUL CREATURE” is an excellent example of a completely balanced song, whereby sure, you might not have that singular wow-factor moment in the main musical hooks, but you should be somewhat in awe of how BROCK is continually able to generate such consistency and audible interest.  Some of the best records, books, and movies we’ve ever consumed are built of such evenness…not by having a gimmick to fall back on, or even a well-crafted hook, but through sheer consistency where every beat & bar, every line in a story, every scene in a movie, serves a purpose for a greater goal.  So don’t get me wrong, I’m just as all about a track like “WONDERFUL CREATURE” as I was with “OBEY” and “Heart Beat” from earlier on – they’re all incredibly well-produced tracks that show nothing but the professionalism of BROCK on full display.  Of the three cuts so far, I’d probably still tell ya that “Heart Beat” would win the war for accessibility, and that’s likely because there is a more tangibly memorable sound goin’ on there – but if we’re talkin’ about production values, “WONDERFUL CREATURE” has my vote.  I suppose it depends on what you’re looking to listen to – and make no mistake, when it comes right down to it, if we’re talkin’ about what the masses are lookin’ for…hooks are gonna win, every time.

So there’s room for the man to evolve in his craft if he’s looking for singular tracks to be identifiable beyond his own signature sound, you know what I mean?  He’s largely helped compensate a lot for that with the videos he’s produced to support his music in the past, which has helped create a visual element that can certainly help people familiarize themselves with a certain single here & there, and of course, that’s a solid move to make.  While there’s no magic recipe that says if you do this, you’ll achieve that, when it comes to achieving success in music by any definition – it’s also unquestionable that it’s an art where you’ll get more out of it with the more you put into it, every time.  To be as invested in what you do from sight to sound as BROCK is, will certainly lead you in the right direction and potentially even put you on a path to commercial success & whatnot, but way more importantly, you’ll be satisfied on a personal level by putting everything you have into everything that you do.  For what it’s worth, I think “Gunphree & Flight” has some stuff in that I’ll remember as time goes on…the kind of hooks that’ll bring me back to listen throughout the years ahead.  As far as the notes I’ve got scattered across my dusty desk tell me, “Gunphree & Flight” is filmed with BROCK’s son Aslan in the video, with footage that comes from their trip around the world together for a post-graduation celebration.  They made stops in all kinds of cultural hotspots in Dubai, Greece, Hong Kong, Thailand, Sri Lanka, and Cambodia…all places that I’ve read about in books & magazine and will very likely never get off my ass to actually go and see myself.  So sure, it’s neat to see life through another person’s lens, and even though the footage for what you’ll see in “Gunphree & Flight” is quite different than you’d normally find in BROCK’s catalog to a degree, it’s still assembled in a way that it visually fits right in with so much of what he’s done.  As far as the song goes, we’ve probably got a new reigning champion in this recent set of four I’ve been reviewing when it comes to the degree of identity and accessibility combined…I’d say this likely knocks “Heart Beat” off the top spot by just a fraction or two when it comes to what the masses would like to hear.  Not that we’re comparing things out of necessity and trying to settle some kind of debate…it’s just natural to end up comparing tunes when they come at you in bunches, the same as you’d do as you discern your favorites on an album.  I really dig the main melodic hook on “Gunphree & Flight” with the whistle-style sound…it shows up in a variety of ways, but he knows the one I’m talkin’ about.  I don’t know if BROCK spends quite enough time with it in the mix of this particular track, but it’s definitely its main asset in making this track memorable to the people out there listening.  It’s in there, don’t get me wrong…but when you hear how effective it is, you’d almost think he might have exploited it even more than he does, and you have to give the man some real credit for his professional restraint on that.  I’m assuming he’s got two tracks threaded together in “Gunphree & Flight” to a degree…and while I don’t know that they necessarily make all that much sense coming together as a set, I really like what I hear in the last couple minutes of this single…in fact, I’d probably tell ya that the second part contains its stronger ideas, even if it doesn’t have that identifiable hook you find in the first half of this cut.  Like I always tell ya, it just depends on what you wanna do and what the goals are…I dig the man’s consistency and how he goes about making his music…heck, I could even make an argument that it’s his understated approach that often ends up generating his most sincerely humble vibes & engaging tunes designed for longevity.

Find more music by BROCK at Spotify:  https://open.spotify.com/artist/6JOvkv3t1DPGApQMH3jAFR

Fun fact – did you know some of the most capable minds and amazing musicians you’ve ever known STILL can’t find the best way to submit their music to us? You’d think it’d be easy, given that it’s right there on the main page of our site, yet the battle still continues! Click here to be the next up on our pages – it’s really that simple!