Where do I start? The fact that this album was made by a former YouTube rapper, or that it has Danny Brown starring as an ancient mythological dragon, or that it’s one of the best albums of the year? And that doesn’t even begin to describe the sound of this either, because it’s far from a rap album. It’s closer to Sufjan Stevens than Snoop Dogg. But it’s even more cinematic than it is singer/songwriter. "Vanisher, Horizon Scraper" is Quadeca’s fourth studio album, and if it can be described at all, it’s more of a story than a genre or sound. The album follows a sailor who sails to the horizon only to confront the Bakunawa, the mythological dragon, defeating him but eventually (spoiler alert) sinking and drowning in the ocean. Does that make it sound sort of like Old Man and the Sea? No, because it’s actually good and worth your time. To tell his epic tale, Quadeca packs the album with flutes, guitars, waves, strings, raps, African drums, and every other instrument under the sun. And somehow it works quite seamlessly.
On songs like “GODSTAINED” and “MONDAY”, he’s managed to make some of the beautifully arranged pop songs, as if the Beach Boys lived in Maine. But he can easily switch it up, like on “I DREAM ABOUT SINKING,” where there is not a single word spoken. Instead, the instrumental is a patient, building ambience that feels like a slow, peaceful descent into the water. And these sorts of switch-ups happen across the album, where he switches from rapping to singing, to instrumentals, although ebbing and flowing would better describe it, as if the songs are following where the wind blows, and maybe the whole project too. And on top of all of this, the album sounds spectacular. This project took no shortcuts on the production end because the sound never ceases to completely envelop you into Quadeca’s oceanic world. However, the only anchor holding down this album is the rapping. Quadeca isn’t a bad rapper for sure, he’s made some of my favorite indie-rap songs like “Abandon Me” or “A LA CARTE” (definitely worth a listen!!), but here, I don’t think his rapping often fits the songs and feels more like a default rather than a deliberate choice.
Whereas, when Quadeca gets into his singer-songwriter pocket, it can deliver some serious gold, such as at the beginning of “RUIN MY LIFE,” which feels like a cinematic, happy Elliott Smith (love you Elliott!). But, even then, the rapping can still be great, like on the back end of “AT A TIME LIKE THIS,” which has Quadeca chopping it up behind a “GONE GONE/THANK YOU” style arpeggiated synth. "Vanisher, Horizon Scraper" is one of the most ambitious albums of the year, and it delivers on nearly every front. The album is so incredibly pretty, dense, and forward-thinking, and I couldn’t recommend it enough no matter what you listen to or what you’ve heard before. If you’re looking at starting with this album, I would recommend diving straight in like a true sailor. Godspeed.
- Bentley Bradford
