Bringing us back into the rich electronic soundscape he calls ’funkfoltronica’, BML’s
dystopia is a fountain of emotion littered with precious stones instead of pennies. This new work is his most autobiographical to date and is a solid step forward for this award-winning artist. While the concept of a dystopia (literally ‘anti-utopia’) is harsh and brutal, BML has managed to expose us to his vision of a life gone awry without sending us screaming for the mercy the record’s protagonist craves.
dystopia is a haunting soundtrack for a journey to a safe place when there is no safe place to go.
The album begins much like the opening credits of a film, relaxing and disarming us with a rich and welcoming environment. It goes on to paint a picture of a life spent as a cog in the machine while the world passes by. Filling with rage and horror at the way things have turned out, the music seeks out the balance necessary to begin shaping one’s life into a worthwhile existence. It closes by reassuring us of life’s many facets, from beautiful to ugly to happy to sad and all things between.
While the tracks can hold their own without thinking of this as a ‘concept album’ — a term that fills the mind with unhealthy connotations of Rush and nerds everywhere — dystopia works best as a whole, telling its story to the listener without pause. If one were to choose a single or two from the record, both the title track and ‘are you sure?’ are hard to beat for imagery and composition. ‘model citizen’ is complex, driven and intense, while ‘versificator’ packs a melancholy groove that makes you want to break out the light sticks and dance — proving the talent of BML in creating versatile and enjoyable songs.
Knowing some of the artist’s challenges in bringing this very personal record to life and his ever-growing catalog of as-yet unreleased material, this reviewer is looking forward to future offerings from BML as his talent continues to mature.
