Anyone with a good eye for cartoons would surely have to second guess themselves if they tried to overlook an album featuring a tribute to Adventure Time.
Kris Cadwell’s Just Grow opens with Zos, an array of synth goodness and wonderfully squelchy sound design that somewhat masks the mysterious melody and mature composition that lurks behind it. A Tribute to Adventure Time follows, miniature assaults of a kick drum, quiet and gentle but rapid nonetheless, sitting behind mad cymbals and electronic snare rolls with a composition that nods toward the golden era of video game soundtracks.
Even the song titles are notably interesting. New Game seems to reflect the glitchy lo-fi influences of the album, whilst “A Russian Novel” seems to evoke pure intrigue and mystery, and you have to love the name “'Kitten Battle in Space”.
Just Grow is a delightful collage of crafted contrasts and originality. Doubled up snares spit and stutter, cymbals snapped and broken over quiet piano like synthesisers. Perfectly designed glitches satisfy the ears as they work hypnotic backgrounds. The composition is deep and thoughtful. It’s refreshing to hear an artist who can write music to be both melancholy and playful at the same time, with a myriad of crafted sounds and new ideas to boot.
credits
released August 1, 2013
Project organizing by the idmforums.com community
Art by Kris Cadwell / layout: scyn
Video by Noodles
Mastering by Ben “Benwaa” Walthew