Singer and songwriter, Josh Buche from Illinois, Chicago, has a very eclectic taste in music, which helps him to create his own signature sound, and in his first full length album, "Retroflux" he takes us on a weirdly wonderful musical journey...
First song, "Ballad Of Juan Guerrero" is a lively ambient acoustic number, which has a dream like vibe to it, whilst having a raw organic feel, which is all helped by the delightful guitars and atmospheric chilled out vocals. This acts a good introduction and first impression, where Josh represents his creative flair admirably..
"Hold My Breath" is very smooth and soothing, where he gets to show of his brilliant guitar skills, and varied soulful emotive vocals further, with precision and fluidity. As we near the end, it takes on a different mood with a crescendo, which makes for a highly memorable number!
To keep things fresh and dynamic, "I've Been Waiting" shows his diversity yet again, in this country rock 'n' roll short venture, with well thought out backing noises to create the desired atmosphere and depth.."On My Way" yet again highlights his mix of influences big time, with a massive change in sound, jumping into a pop party inspired number, with ultra positive upbeat beats, melodies and sounds, all helping it on it's 'way' to a feel good hit!
"I Wish I Were Mute" slows things down a bit in this thought provoking and rather sombre sounding track, which stills hits hard.."Sliding" is a strange yet intriguing instrumental, heavily aided by the use of effects and far out sounds to escape in..
"Monster Steps" is a definite highlight, and makes a strong impact! This is a brilliantly constructed catchy fun, electronic driven instrumental, which sounds like a malfunctioning game tune or alternative dance track, in the greatest way!
"Note To Self" highlights mundane reality well, as well as being rather pessimistic, especially in the chorus, yet in contrast is motivational at times. This is all delivered in a very effective way, like an actual recording to yourself as a reminder not to waste your life and have regrets..it takes a dark turn towards the end, in a spiralling manic progression, to play up how harsh life can be at times..but eventually ends of a positive inspirational 'note'! This is a powerful eye-opening and stand out song!
Final song, "This Illusion" has a lot going on, giving it lots of depth and also a surreal sense with beautiful ambient vocals, and outbursts of loud instruments, giving it an harder edge, which although seems misplaced, it actually works well in a bizarre way!
Josh is an extremely talented individual, who has a lot to offer, and manages to fit a hell of a lot in this album, and every song adds an extra layer to his ever expanding musical exploration! He delivers an exciting, and innovative creation, which he should be very proud of! As it is so diverse it should appeal to a wide audience and get him the exposure he deserves..just imagine what he can go on to achieve following this inspiring release!
http://joshbuche.bandcamp.com/
http://joshbuche.com/blog/
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