Greene’s shift toward beach-friendly melodies and more classic rock arrangements results in some gorgeous, shimmering moments. But it also results in Washed Out losing some of the gloomy energy that gave its sound teeth.
Even with the added instruments, the strength of Paracosm comes from adhering to what Washed Out does best. Nevertheless, this album is the sound of taking that methodology a step further while still making it feel like Washed Out.
Here he creates a fuller piece, totally unconcerned with its context and its audience. Hence why it excels.
The naysayers may have a point, this might not seem like an aural paradigm shift to some, but Paracosm is still a vital progression for Washed Out.
Paracosm is the music you'd play while lying happily in the grass, or hanging out with your besties, or living life with no cares or cavities.
Within and Without’s greatest failings weren’t its lack of earworm melodies or crystalline chord progessions; it was the repetitive use of formulaic textures and moods: something that’s been greatly rectified on Paracosm.
Greene is no longer satisfied just to give people some giddy danceable jams for hazy summer nights. He still wants to see them dance, but he also wants them to feel utterly transported while doing so.
While Paracosm isn’t going out of its way to convert anyone, it’s a modest display of staying power, proof that Greene is a niche artist who hasn't yet suffered from redundancy.
Even though there aren’t any forcible tracks or extreme depth to this album, it captures an experience that should be played out entirely.
The core elements that made Washed Out’s first album a success are still present, but they are amplified and taken to entirely new places.
Though firmly in the dream pop niche, the record is not limited to electronic soundscapes or synthesizer-based melodies, striking a balancing act between those standbys and more organic components including myriad antique keyboards and strings.
While not as immediate as its predecessor, Paracosm emits the cozy glow of an artist happy to remain in a comfortable sense of stasis. Giving in to its charms is really all you can do.
At its best, Greene breaks open the yawning synths to make room for labored bursts of live instrumentation and unabashedly sunny flair — but its weaker moments still resemble second-rate Within and Without outtakes.
Sure, he's created a beautiful ocean of noise, but such a vast sea can be immensely powerful , and the "feeling" that he's so desperate to convey too often gets submerged.
Paracosm is, at the very least, beautifully rendered wallpaper, and it’s hard to blame Greene for living in this fantasy for as long as he possibly can.
On this, his second album, Ernest Greene has a target on his back. How does he outrun that? The answer is simple: he doesn’t. He just stands and dies by the chillwave fort.
Flowered up and then bleached a bit out is how I'd describe Paracosm ( the first work I've heard from Washed Out ). It doesn't shine as much as it wants because of that but still a good laid-back experience and leaves the album to remain perfectly lukewarm. If the genre chillwave doesn't flow well and feels even jarring in the slightest it's often unworthy as its genre and that's Paracosm's strength : a great ocean-like flow that never pushes or pulls only rolls back and forth in its own ... read more
1 | Entrance 1:21 | 75 |
2 | It All Feels Right 4:06 | 89 |
3 | Don't Give Up 3:55 | 87 |
4 | Weightless 4:56 | 81 |
5 | All I Know 5:27 | 82 |
6 | Great Escape 5:07 | 78 |
7 | Paracosm 6:32 | 89 |
8 | Falling Back 5:47 | 82 |
9 | All Over Now 3:55 | 73 |
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