| Year | Album | Artist | Stars | Score | Genre | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Salad Days | Mac DeMarco | ★★★ | 56 | Rock | Psychedelic Rock | Indie Rock |
Mac DeMarco is a man who knows what he’s doing and knows how to do it well. A lazy, drowsy, trippy, aimless 34 minute collection of short songs like Salad Days is absolutely not for everyone, but for some – especially those who enjoy certain recreational activities – this is just what the doctor ordered.
His voice is authentic and somewhat soothing in the way it sounds familiar and friendly. The almost out of tune guitars mix with the lo-fi synths to create this hypnotic, psychedelic tension and atmosphere almost in the same way the Beatles would on Magical Mystery Tour or Sgt. Pepper.
Salad Days is in no way the creative feat of those pioneering 60s albums, or anywhere near as good. But it is distinctive, warm and comforting, and Mac’s first legitimately good album after his early-career records were highly consistent and one dimensional, but left a lot to be desired.
“Chamber of Reflection” and the title track are the album’s two obvious stars, while the rest are all kind of interchangeable. Sometimes you can get a little lost or distracted because a lot of it is so similar, but each track does a little something with the guitar or effects that makes it worth your while.
Fresh Out The Deli 