There was a period in high school when we (I) listened only to depressing music. This was met with concern (why! So much music is depressing, it's unavoidable) and confusion. Like, why would you listen to music that made you sad when you could listen to music that made you happy? So many reasons, and all those reasons ultimately boil down to the fact that a jam is a jam and if it sounds good we're going to listen to it often. Cameron Reed, aka Babe Rainbow, has spent the better part of his music career attempting to perfect this replication of bummer times. The darkest stuff pounded and shaped into digestible bits. Music things we're familiar with like chord changes or basic drums loops are replaced with minimal creaks and eerie noises that as well be the manipulated sound of a radiator clanking, or even something more discomforting like seeing a bike upside down with a single wheel spinning on a rainy day (what?). "Stax," which does not come from a specific release is more concrete. Possible the most there song Reed has released. Someone could rap over it if they wanted, but we've heard that before about instrumental music. Probably said it too. It's the kind of abstract statement that is supposed to mean something but doesn't actually. Take this for what it is: a step slightly to the right for Reed. Less experimental than the stuff on his EP, but no less worth spending some time with.
Download: Babe Rainbow, "Stax"
