mentalEscape – Bizarre Behavior

mentalEscape – Bizarre Behavior – Album Review

Inspired by the what now?  The “Phonk” genre?

Yeah, no.  I’m not doing that.

Fun fact – there are over 6000+ genres in the world according to Spotify, and I hate every single one.

Not the music mind you, just the need to label it and parse it out into these super specific sub-genres and shit…that ain’t me, and that ain’t ever gonna be me.  When you consider the fact that you can still put those same sub-genres into one of the like, six-to-ten major categories…then like…that’s what it IS.  There MIGHT be something to this whole Phonk-based theory though…mentalEscape has been on an exceptional roll as of late with albums like Upgrade and Numb…then you could start to feel things beginning to slow down a bit with Big Bang…and here on Bizarre Behavior, maybe a little more.  Is that the result of it being a part of the Phonk genre?  Or is that mentalEscape is still moving too quickly?

I’ll let you decide on what the real story is on all that after you have a listen for yourself.  In the meantime, I’ll stick to what I know for sure…which is what sounds good to the two ears that I’ve got.

There are ALWAYS going to be pieces and parts of every mentalEscape song that I enjoy, because the dude is genuinely badass when it comes to his gift for making music in terms of production & the finer technical details of its structure, composition, and assembly.  That being said, there’s plenty of awesome names out there you can cite, like RJD2, DJ Shadow, or even the legendary Aphex Twin…they all have moments in their career where you can hear the inspiration slips a little bit, or things change just enough in one direction or the other in a way that makes the material feel like it has a little less weight to the impact you want it to make.  The point is, there are ups & downs in every career, no matter if you’re at the top of the charts worldwide, or an independent artist.  All you can do is what you can do, and how people respond to it is always beyond our control.  I listen to “She Hits The Lights” start up and I felt like mentalEscape was missing that opportunity to blow our freakin’ minds like he did on Numb, you know what I mean?  It’s not a bad track by any stretch of the imagination…but I’m not as convinced that “She Hits The Lights” is an example of putting your best foot forward either, you feel me?  Think of it context to our short-ass attention spans in the modern day…if artists/bands are only ever getting paid by Spotify by having listeners somehow stick around to listen to a song past the thirty second mark, then in a wider sample-size, your first track on an album is kind of the equivalent to that first thirty seconds.  You following me?  It’s pretty crucial to get a song that’s gonna keep people engaged & listening in there towards the start…and I’m not quite sure that “She Hits The Lights” is the cut that’s gonna accomplish that.  The part I love about it – the beat – I can get from PM Dawn’s “Set Adrift On Memory Bliss” too…and I hate to break it to anyone in that situation, but I already know who I’m gonna want to supply it.  Other than that, I dunno…I’m not super-hyped on the vocal element added into this track…feels a bit too robotically-placed for my personal taste, and overall the song simply feels almost too balanced in a way that seems to prevent it from being as explosive or as exciting as it could be to start the album up.

Where things get more complex in assessing a record, is that if track one doesn’t do it for ya, then track two better knock it so far out of the park that it practically compensates…or you really might be in danger of losing listeners before they even have a chance to discover some gems you could have in the set-list further down the line.  “Freaks Of The Night” wasn’t it for me either.  This was right about where I started to stretch a little in my chair as I was writing this, wondering if I just got up on the wrong side of the bed or what…because I’d almost assume it’s me listening to something sideways as opposed to our hero mentalEscape not bringing the heat that he so typically does.  I say almost though, because I know myself…I know I give these records I get as much of a spin as I can before I even write a single word for you to read, and that my opinion isn’t ever tainted by a single night’s worth of sleep.  As I spun through Bizarre Behavior this week, “Freaks Of The Night” just never really felt like it was the cut for me.  My favorite part about it is right around the 1:35 mark on the exit out from the vocals into the music, which at its core, is awesome…but we don’t get too much of a glimpse of that on its own aside from a short burst around the twenty-second mark…other than that, “Freaks Of The Night” felt like a moment where the vocals got in the way of what could make me really want to listen to this mentalEscape track.  That happens sometimes…we add that extra ingredient to our recipe all the time in so many things that we do, but that one extra thing can be what turns you off of the rest if you’re not too careful.  I don’t expect that everyone out there will agree with me – in fact, I’m reasonably sure that some of you out there will feel like the vocals completely make “Freaks Of The Night” worth listening to.  As always, if that’s how you feel, turn it up and carry the hell on – I’m not here to judge what you like, I’m just here to tell you how I hear things.  As it stands, I need a bit more outta mentalEscape when it comes to the start of a record…I want that undeniable reason to keep listening & I don’t feel like we’ve heard that happen…yet.

“Shoot Your Shot” gets way closer to that excitement factor I’ve been looking forward to than the first two tracks on Bizarre Behavior seemed to, in my opinion.  I don’t know that it’s like…you know…right up there with the best of the best I’ve heard from mentalEscape, and arguably, in a way, this feels very much like the kind of music we’ve experienced many times from the man before…so it’s like…somewhat of a step forward for the record, and a bit of a lateral move for the artist in question at the same time.  Right now I’ll take it though…Bizarre Behavior needed a bit of a shot in the arm, and “Shoot Your Shot” makes enough moves to scratch the itch.  All-in-all, you can’t deny that mentalEscape has added in some jaw-dropping chops into this track that everyone would have to acknowledge…the skills run deep on this cut, and the man makes his technical talent audibly verifiable to everybody listening.  Plus, I felt like “Shoot Your Shot” had enough depth and sound to go along with all that…so it’s not like you’re being impressed in just one aspect of the song, you’ve got a whole lot here that’s well worth turning UP.  Is it a coincidence that “Shoot Your Shot” is twice the length of the first two tracks on the album, and most of this entire lineup when it comes right down to it?  Again, I’ll let you be the judge and jury on all that, but it sure seemed to me that the extra length allowed for mentalEscape to make a more substantial impact on us throughout “Shoot Your Shot,” and really gave us the opportunity to hear them skills put to work!

“Welcome To The Nightmare (I Am Terror)” probably took a spin or two to convince me of its strength & lasting power, but I feel like I eventually came around to appreciate it & believe this would hold up over time.  I guess I felt like this might be more of a mood-dependent kind of track at the end of the day…like I could see there would be some days where “Welcome To The Nightmare (I Am Terror)” would serve as the ultimate personal anthem…and like, you could go stomping through society feeling like you’re ten feet tall with this on.  I remember doing that with a track called “Surprise, You’re Dead” by Faith No More as a teenager many moons ago, and the same feeling applied to it…I knew it wouldn’t be a track I’d reach for every single day of my life, but I also knew there would be days where that would be the ONLY cut that would supply the juice I needed to get through the day too.  “Welcome To The Nightmare (I Am Terror)” feels like it could be that empowering kind of track for the new generation…and while I have no business endorsing anything like WWE or UFC or whatever it is that the meatheads out there seem to enjoy, believe me, I definitely hear the potential a track like this could have in getting the crowd roaring when their favorite dude comes running outta the tunnel to hand out some fisticuffs.  It’s LARGE – ALL CAPS LARGE – and like I said, you’ll know exactly when this is the only track you really wanna hear.  Not every song needs to be an everyday listen…and generally speaking, they tend to last longer if they’re not anyway.  I’m tellin’ ya…strap into your boots, put this track on, and go stomp out a few local villages…just see how you feel!  Don’t worry about the carnage you leave behind…we’re all living in the Matrix and it doesn’t matter anyway.  I bet you feel unstoppable, and you’ll have so much fun that you’ll do it again.  Embrace the evil for a moment or two, and be the carnage you want to see in the world.

“Already Gone” dials things back a bit again.  I think that…jeez…I mean, there were things that I felt like mentalEscape was doing with vocals being added in that blew my mind over those past three records or so, but I just don’t seem to be connecting with what he’s chosen for Bizarre Behavior.  Maybe that’s on me…maybe it’s just not my thing.  It all just feels so one-syllable-style and choppy…whereas what he was incorporating before seemed way more artistic and unique…so like…I dunno – is that what Phonk is supposed to be like?  Again, if it is, then count me out…it wouldn’t be enough.  Ultimately, “Already Gone” is at a fairly inconsequential length of less than two minutes in total, and I do like some of what the vocals bring to it…I like the tone, I like the very start where dude says the title itself…but that’s about it.  As for the music, not really my favorite from mentalEscape either if I’m being honest with ya – this cut relies way too heavily on repetition, and that’s obviously a major advantage if you dig the main pattern and melody that he’s got goin’ on…but if you don’t, then you’re kinda up shit creek without a paddle because what you hear at the start is going to ride with you right to the very end of this track.

Everyone naturally ends up with a sweet spot that they might not even know exists.  What makes it even stranger though, is that it’s unpredictable – what might have been the sweet spot on one record doesn’t necessarily mean it’ll be the same on the next.  A bit more length in these tunes seemed to be what got the most magic out of mentalEscape for me this time around…from my perspective, the best tracks were the ones that allowed the guy to flex a bit more diversity & do a bit more than any short cut could offer.  “Viper” is still built on a decent amount of repetition, but it still seemed to follow the pattern of tracks like “Shoot Your Shot” and “Welcome To The Nightmare (I Am Terror)” having a little more for you to enjoy length-wise.  All-in-all, I think “Viper” is great proof that you don’t need to be too extreme when it comes to the kind of diversity you create in your music…that sometimes the most subtle changes can be the most effective.  It’s almost like how you see a stunning animal out there in the wild, and you don’t wanna make any sudden moves that would scare it away or disturb it…that’s kind of what you get with “Viper” – mentalEscape is cautious & careful with his movements & the changes he makes to it, but brilliantly precise & purposeful.  What I think makes this cut work as well as it does, at least in my opinion, is that the whole tapestry of sound he’s working with is outright fascinating to listen to…it’s the kind of vibe that piques the curiosity of your ears, and invests them fully through relentless interest.

I can get behind some of the technical flare than “Break” reveals to us, but I’m gonna cite the same issue I’ve been having with the vocal inclusions throughout this record…the flow just ain’t there.  It’s almost like mentalEscape has got each individual word laid out on the keys in front of him, and that organic feel you wanna find is rarely on display.  You get a little bit more of a natural flow in parts of “Break” in that regard when the vocals are being sung for the main hook, but it’s not quite enough to be the difference overall.  The majority of what we hear on “Break” is still doled out in that choppy syllable-for-syllable style, and I feel like it’s just been a hindrance to too many tracks on Bizarre Behavior than it has been an advantage.  Would I have liked “Break” more as an instrumental?  It’s possible…I wouldn’t rule it out.  I really love the hook that’s sung in this song, the vocals honestly sound spectacular in that specific part – and musically, I don’t know if it would have had quite enough on its own…so I’m with mentalEscape in the sense that “Break” did need something, but I’m just not as convinced it was the something that he went with.  No doubt there are pieces and parts of “Break” that I enjoyed – like I told ya from the very start, it’s impossible not to appreciate so much of what mentalEscape does, and in a way, he’s stacked the odds against himself by having so much new music out there to compare these songs against this year.  “Break” is a good example of a song that highlights so many of the things he can do through his production that makes his music great to listen to, while still being a bit too thin with the core material.

“Coil” seemed to be the track that kind of surprised me.  If I’m judging by the same things I’ve already pointed out about the way that the vocals have been working stylistically throughout this record, then it’s got the exact same issues of its choppiness that I’ve been talking about.  That being said, I feel like it had a few more spots that allowed the vocals to spread out a bit, like in the main hooks or in the breaks before it…and just a little more space in the syllable-to-syllable sequencing seemed to go a long way & help break up the rigidness of the vocal patterns.  Plus, it just sounds damn good – I like the tone of the vocals, I think the main hook was just as effective as the one I liked from “Break” or even better, and underneath it all, I thought the music was a great example of slow-burning digital intensity.  It’s got a slightly like…marching-style/droning aspect to its rhythm & pulse, but “Coil” also has this alluring vibe that is cleverly hypnotic & keeps your attention locked onto every moment of it.  So…yeah…I mean, this is where you see how extremely hard it is to even compare apples to apples, let alone oranges – a lot of what mentalEscape is doing on “Coil” is following the same blueprint as so many of the other songs on this same record, yet it feels like it’s a step ahead of much of the set-list.  The verses still drive me a little batty with how the vocals are so pronounced in the way they’re parsed out, but what works on “Coil” works brilliantly, and it seemed to be enough to give this song a pass where others were still criticized.

Not to keep harpin’ on this issue, but case in-point, listen to the difference in a track like “Keep The Pill Under The Tongue” by comparison to every other track with vocals on it on Bizarre Behavior, and I can guarantee you’ll understand what I’ve been getting at.  You can absolutely hear the difference that real fluidity creates, and how that makes the vocals become a real asset to the music, as opposed to feeling like it kind of works against it.  You get a punchier, more dynamic pairing as result, which in the case of this particular song, ends up revealing a major highlight in the lineup of this album overall.  Of course it helps that mentalEscape is also at the top of his game in how the mechanics of “Keep The Pill Under The Tongue” works on a musical level as well, but yeah…make no mistake this is the kind of cut that clarifies what I’ve been getting at all along, and demonstrates how effective the opposite approach can truly be.  I don’t think there’s anyone out there listening that would deny “Keep The Pill Under The Tongue” is one of the strongest tracks found on this record, and I’m tellin’ ya, it’s directly because the pairing between the music & vocals seems so much more focused on the goal of creating something powerfully dynamic.  That bass is freakin’ deadly too y’all…would have likely been worth the price of admission in that aspect on its own, but this cut is definitely an example of where the vocals level it all up even further.  Add in the killer moves being made with the beat itself, and the cleverness that mentalEscape applies to the mix…this has all got that intensity I love, infused with a low-end that you wouldn’t possibly want to pull away from.  It reminds me of how the UNKLE remix of QOTSA’s “No One Knows” worked…it’s got this stunning shroud of low-end that looms over every moment, which creates a massively gripping result.

And then we end on “No More Worries,” which I was never all that sure about.  Similar to how I felt about “Already Gone” and the use of repetition, “No More Worries” leans even harder into it with a more distinct sound that you really have to enjoy, or your hopes for getting on board with this cut are basically toast.  For myself personally, if I gave it some distance…like…if I listened to the majority of the rest of the set and came back to “No More Worries” every third or fourth spin through Bizarre Behavior, I didn’t mind it…but I don’t know if I can say that I ever found myself really loving it.  Like I was tellin’ ya earlier though, when it comes to the art of repetition, especially in a main hook, if you dig what you hear, then you’re in great shape – and if that’s the case for how you feel about “No More Worries,” believe me, you’ll freakin’ love it…because there is PLENTY of that main hook go around on the inside of this less-than two minute track.  It really is damn near convincing y’all…I’ll admit that.  Every so often, I’d spin this finale cut and feel like the hook was a huge asset to the song, even if the rest surrounding it felt thin by comparison…but I don’t that this ended up being a decisive conclusion so much as the effect of repetition simply wearing me down.  As a conclusion to Bizarre Behavior all-around…I don’t know, it ended up feeling like it fit because I couldn’t really make heads or tails of it, and the uneven strengths of “No More Worries” felt symbolic of how I felt towards the record overall.  It’s got its moments, no doubt – but I want more outta my mentalEscape music when it comes right down to it.  It’s not enough to get me yelling PHONK DIS, but it’s also not quite enough to have me looking to repeat this particular record as a whole, rather than cherry pick the pieces that I loved the most to add to a killer playlist of singles.

Listen to Bizarre Behavior and the whole catalog of records by mentalEscape at Apple Music right here:  https://music.apple.com/us/artist/mentalescape/301901856

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