파란노을 (Parannoul) “After the Magic” Album Review

After the Magic

Parannoul

• Genre: Rock
• Date: 28 Jan, 2023
• Content: Not-explicit
• Region: NGA
• Track(s): 10
• ℗ 2023 Parannoul, under license to POCLANOS

Recent split LPs and singles by Parannoul gave rise to the impression that the production would gradually veer away from the red and toward softer, more shimmering tones. But none of it was adequate preparation for the optimism that ‘After the Magic’s bracing, crystalline clarity reveals.

Album Art

The colour blinding lights give the bush-like appearance on the cover a surreal look and something like an apparition. As the album name suggests, the cover tries to denote the ‘bright lights’ that come with extraordinary scenarios, as magic itself isn’t ordinary.

Tracks And Features

The 10-track album opens with the first track, “Polaris,” and several other songs. The first sound heard is an acoustic guitar, which is most likely not one of the MIDI presets used on “To See the Next Part of the Dream.” Soon enough, Parannoul fills the room with blatantly artificial noises: new cocktail piano rolls, slap bass, and synthesized saxophones, all purposefully intended to remind listeners of an ancient, more innocent period of technology.

Yet ‘After the Magic’ collapses the nostalgia wormhole with its rocky reference points—ambient music from the early home computing era, shoegaze’s drum N bass software update, and various phases of J-pop incorporating cutting-edge electronics—and suggests that, maybe someday, 2023 will also be fondly remembered as the good old days. Instead, the album seems to tell the story of a wandering depressed mind aching for change and seeking a different reality while making do with the present.

The massive ” Parade ” suite sounds like an enclosed arena anthem. Even an English translation of the lyrics (“I wish I could not wake up”) can’t determine whether they’re in anguish or ecstasy. Parannoul let out a passionate cry found nowhere else on the record toward the end of ” (Blossom),” getting swept up in the incapacitating rave rhythms. The eruptive second half of “Arrival” envisions somewhat of a Billy Corgan composing a Siamese Dream-style guitar symphony in the year 2023 in utter solitude, with their voice at the center of endless minute overdubs heaped like kindling until the sound crashes.

Blossom, the dreamlike effects, the edgy lyrics, and the resignation to fate make this track an awkward but pleasant listen as the band wish “they would not wake up.” like most of the songs on the album, the listener is caught in between making sense of the vocals i.e. if they are aligned towards anguish and depression throughout or there’s some ecstasy in there especially when the lyrics go ” a new dream awaits.” The rock baseline and the percussion, in conjunction with the rudimentary high-pitched ringing sounds and support background vocals, all align sufficiently to give the track an almost alien-like appearance.

The closing track of the album, which coincidentally shares the name of the album begins with some synth and piano chords in soft percussion in the background. The get-high feeling of the track is perfect, especially as the lyrics insinuate an end of the feel-good feeling and encourages the listener to “spread wings, through the darkness and make a wish.” themes of love, sadness, and a longing to be remembered can be heard here. The instrumentation and backup vocals blend incredibly, and the sounds give the listeners a surreal experience as the listening journey comes to a quite calming but fading end.

Tracklist

NO	TITLE	TIME
1	Polaris	4:22
2	Insomnia	4:49
3	Arrival	7:44
4	We Shine at Night	6:27
5	Parade	7:34
6	Sketchbook	7:02
7	Imagination	4:37
8	Sound Inside Me, Waves Inside You	5:13
9	Blossom	6:11
10	After the Magic	5:02

Album Summary

This track is exactly what Parannoul intended to be a bit Standish but intricate enough to communicate emotions. The blend of pop and rock amidst soothing genteel intervals is incredible. All its sound design, every piano chord, kpop melody, guitar fuzz,  genre alchemy, and every effect included in the making of the album makes this a project that keeps the listener always trying to remember it.

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