ライフターン – RGB
Recommendation: ☀☁☁
Although technically classified as an EP on Discogs, RGB by ライフターン1 is best viewed as a sister album to H+. Both albums were released within three months of each other in 2016, and they use similar classic-style vaporwave tropes with a strong mid-tempo base. RGB was only released as a pay-what-you-want digital download, which is practically all of the DMT Tapes FL releases are published. Founder VitoJames has emphatically stated that vaporwave music is meant to be enjoyed by any who wants to do so, and that any payment will be treated as a donation to the artist.
RGB is a suave collection of smooth jazz and instrumental adult contemporary head-nodders.2 As with H+, this release is relatively short (ten tracks in twenty-five minutes) and is best experienced as a full suite of music rather than chopped-up for a playlist or listening on shuffle. RGB has a loud production that’s designed to evoke listening to music at high volume on a stereo set, and it succeeds in doing so without sounding like a brickwalled mix. The samples are major-melody progressions with a blissful milieu, foregoing the uncanny valley of other classic-style vaporwave releases for happiness that’s genuine and not self-effacing – and that’s even considering some of the lovesick track titles like “KNEW IT WOULD NEVER LAST” and “NO ONE LIKES ME”.
Choice tracks include “KNEW IT WOULD NEVER LAST”, “TELL ME (TWIN)”, and “I WANT TO”. Relax and be merry.
Tracklist
1. STATE OF MIND – (2:56)
2. HERE I AM – (2:26)
3. KNEW IT WOULD NEVER LAST – (2:40)
4. TELL ME (TWIN) – (2:41)
5. NO ONE LIKES ME – (1:43)
6. HONEY – (3:20)
7. I WANT TO – (2:41)
8. HEADLINE NEWS – (2:25)
9. SLOWLY MOVING – (1:56)
10. MAKE ME BOP – (2:18)
1Japanese translation: “Life Turns”
2Very different from head-bangers.