Good Spells – “Time Again”

Good Spells – “Time Again” – Single Review

Hmm…

You know…sometimes it’s just a matter of perspective and how we go about defining things.  I was reading through the notes I’ve got here on “Time Again” by Good Spells and how it’s supposed to be an “uplifting” tune…but after having a listen, I feel like we’ve got wildly different definitions of what that word means.  I’d have accepted something like soul-soothing or meditative I think?  I’d have listened to an argument for refreshing even, maybe?  Uplifting, at least to me, has a completely different vibe to it.  But like I said, that’s all a matter of perspective.  Good Spells might very well consider this to be an uplifting song – YOU might feel the same way too – I ain’t really here to judge so much as to comment.

Anyhow.  All that aside, I do like what I hear.  Which is not all that much of a surprise, given that Good Spells is one of the more consistent artists out there in the scene right now.  If you’ve read my previous reviews on his music, you know I’m a fan and that I admire the quality he puts into his production – you can always rely on this man to come up with something that sounds great, driven by the depth in his ideas and the crystal clarity in his craft.  I think where we likely see things from opposite perspectives is on how much changes from track to track…I know I made comments on that the last time I was listening to Good Spells with the single “Beyond,” and I gotta be honest with the man, I’m still feeling the same way about “Time Again” even though those two singles do sound different from one another.  They still each bear a resemblance to what we’ve heard from this producer in the past to a large degree, which ain’t necessarily a bad thing.  A signature sound can work both for and against any artist – it’s all relevant to how much time we spend listening to something on a personal level.  I’ve had quite an extensive listen to the Good Spells catalog, and while the quality is always as professional as professional can be, there’s a formula at the heart of it all that remains similar, and I feel like he still needs to challenge himself to create in different ways for his sound to branch out more than it does.  On the other hand of course, is the fact that he’s created undeniable identity through his music, which is seriously priceless.  It’s to the point where I can truly say with confidence that if you like something from Good Spells, you’re bound to like EVERYTHING from Good Spells, you feel me?  Ultimately, that’s never going to be a bad position to be in.  Most people would kill to be in that position in the art of making music.  So what if things might sound more similar than perhaps he realizes it would to those looking from the outside in?  They’re still listening, aren’t they?  As long as that’s the case, it’s hard to ever really complain about the results.

He creates a unique style of audible abstract art that people connect with on a variety of different levels.  Visually, I dig the look of the video supporting this single as well.  All-in-all, I certainly respect the craft – Good Spells has always been a reliable source of quality sound, and that definitely remains to be true here with “Time Again.”  Don’t get it twisted – it’s a solid cut.  My comments at the start of this review are simply a cautionary tale as to the effects words can have in terms of what we hear – I personally feel like the use of the word upbeat implies we’d be in-store for a whole different type of sound than what we get in this track, that’s all.  The reality is though, that if I’m feeling that way, I won’t be alone – so like I said Good Spells, just be careful in how you choose to go about putting this song out there & recognize how that can set up expectations for those potentially tuning in.  Hopefully they’ll push play regardless and none of that semantical bullshit will matter anyhow – hopefully they’ll just hear the quality of a song like “Time Again” and that’ll win them over, no matter what they thought they’d be tuning in to hear.  I remain as convinced as I’ve ever been with Good Spells – I know this dude is exceptional at what he creates and that continues to be true with this new single here.  I might keep pushing the guy for a bit more diversity in his sound, but I’m just some guy across the pond on the internet, no different than anyone else at the end of the day.  If he’s happy with how things are coming out, and the interest is there from the people listening far & wide across the map, there really isn’t any reason to change much if he doesn’t feel the need to.  In terms of his evolution as an artist, where he can take his music, and his overall skillset, there’s always going to be benefits in finding new ways to do things, but if he knows what works for him and he’s comfortable relying on that, there’s never any shame in that game either y’all.  “Time Again” is another good single from Good Spells – I suspect we’ll never find the quality dipping further than that.

Find out more about Good Spells at the official website at:  https://goodspells.com

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