July 26th - New Year's Eve: Ranking Vaboolal's albums

Hey everyone! Thanks for showing up to read the blog from yesterday if you did. I'm trying my best to make this an everyday event, so you all can keep in touch with what I'm up to. Anyways, onto today's current topic:

Ranking the musical works of Vaboolal

Let's be honest, VABOOLAL can put some pretty 'banging' tracks out, and his work of lately has been gaining some attention in smaller communities. With fans located in England, Nigeria and India, VABOOLAL is known in some pretty far off places. However, what is V's strongest work? Today, I will analyze the works of my past, and rank them in order of what goes the hardest, and what could have been better.

#5: CHEMIICALS AND REPLAY BUTTONS

The second album in V's discography could have easily been interpreted as experimental, from a simple look at the cover art. The meld of green and purple warns the listener that what is to come is not like anything they would have heard prior to this album. A just conclusion. The album jumps between genres on almost every track, from the piano-driven intro of 'PARACHUTE' to the Eurobeat inspired track '65.' This album covers all sorts of styles, and there's a song for everyone laced in either the broad tracklist of 'CHEMIICALS' or the steady beats of 'REPLAY BUTTONS.' Why is it ranked at the bottom of the list? Again, the diversity sort of makes it difficult to nail down the theme of the album. The overuse of genre changes make it almost disorienting, and may have been better off saved for EP drops, instead of a full album. My biggest issue with this album, however, is that the sound balance is inconsistent throughout. Some tracks are eardrum breaks and others are much too timid. This may be subject for a remaster, but as of now, these issues land it at the bottom of my catalogue. Best song off of this album would have to be the outro, 'CRUSHED CLOCKS.'

#4: SKIIEZ

My first album!! It's been a year since I dropped 'SKIIEZ,' and somedays it feels like it was just yesterday when this came out. I'm taken back to all the excitement I got from people when they heard that I was dropping an album. This album did a very good job of introducing VABOOLAL to the world. The tracklist of 'SKIIEZ' is packed with all sorts of EDM-based bangers, with a touch of 'acousticity (is that a word??)' sprinkled in. For example, songs like 'BIG UP,' 'STREETLIIGHTS,'  and 'RED SKIIEZ' are very built around the 'climax' form of music, where a style is established, and the intensity rises up to an exciting drop. While this style and form is prominent throughout the album, the setlist does include some more lo-fi songs, such as the outro of the album 'BACK TO LIIFE,' which is powered by an acoustic drum set and electric piano, which are not seen on any other tracks on 'SKIIEZ.' To sum it up, this album was my first shot at producing, and it really got me hooked on doing this, and really drove me to wanting to one day (hopefully) get a career in this area. As forgettable as 'SKIIEZ' is, it's an important step in my life. Best track would have to be 'CLOUDS.'

This is where it gets hard. My EPs have some of the best songs I've ever mixed, ranking them is going to be hard!!

#3: 3NTR3-VOUS

This EP helped me to establish the 3VAN name that I explained earlier, and it really indicates a change in my production style as well. This EP saw me move away from abstract drum kits and effect towards the direction of trap-infused 808s and deep sub bass synths. '3NTR3-VOUS' also helped me to confirm that shorter tracklists are easier to both write and listen to. I gained a lot more attention off of the leading singles, 'B3ST AT IT' and '$WAVING (MON3Y WAIVING)' than I did for any song I had previously written. This EP saw me experiment more with the popular vibe of dancehall in my music and drive more towards the trap direction. The intro track ('Intro') focuses on a disorienting piano loop that can leave the listener in a trance, before the 808 kicks in to steer the beat forward. 'B3ST AT IT' is extremely dancehall based, mixing elements of electronic music with it. 'TH3 DROP' may be the heaviest beat I have ever dropped, with a dark electric guitar riff making way for an airy yet intense synth to lead the melody. '60 POINTS' had me writing a very poppy and upbeat climax song, and is based around a guitar rhythm before a high-powered hook. '$WAVING' is a diverse banger that pays tribute to the production that goes behind a Tory Lanez song. The changes of style mid-phrase keeps it interesting without straying too far. Finally, 'DAY ON3' tops the EP off with a spacey experience for the ears, as a hypnotic synth pattern paves the way for a modern drum machine and bass to set the tone. Overall, this EP is nearly the most important in my career, as it makes way for an important lane change in my artistry. Best track would have to go to 'TH3 DROP.'

#2: GRADUATION

My most recent work secures the second place position in this countdown. GRADUATION has SOLID production end-to-end, and of all my work, this would have to be my most professional work. 'SUMM3R '18' is, obviously, a song for the summer. Led by a catchy electric bass riff, the song feels like a drive through a sunny beach. The second track, 'MIK3 TYSON,' is a new take on the catchy and monumentally popular Offset song, 'Ric Flair Drip.' This song, like its parent song, is also a catchy jam with some VABOOLAL flair, and is seemingly calling for a talented MC to pick up this beat for some top-rate flexing. 'KING STR33T' is a interpolation of another popular song from rapper Rich The Kid, known as 'Plug Walk.' I really tested myself with this work, as this was the first time I tried to make a beat that sounded like someone else as a focus. Needless to say, it turned out exceptionally, with the signature touch of VABOOLAL. 'DAYSTAR' is another tribute to my favourite rapper, Tory Lanez, and the basis of this song is based off of his song, 'Real Thing,' which is my most listened to song (as of June 26th, 2018). This song is a typical trap beat, with a good old unconventional synth lead so common in VABOOLAL songs. 'GUID3LIN3S' is undisputedly the hardest song on this tracklist, and its catchiness and composition is unrivalled by the other songs, despite how well they were also written. 'GUID3LIN3S' is also the first VABOOLAL set to receive a rap feature, coming from the up-and-coming sensation Fantaastic, rapping in his persona of Lil Fanta. The much anticipated audio and video are set to drop in late August. The outro of 'GRADUATION' is the emotional, yet powerful banger 'WHAT3V3R IT TAKES.' The title itself communicates that this is a song that will see no punches pulled, and is driven by a piano melody recorded by VABOOLAL himself, and the piano and synth act to be the different voices of the song, seemingly showing off their range and diversity. This song puts it all on the line, and serves as a elegant ending to the EP, and a chapter of my life. This is one of my favourite EPs, and it's so fun to put this on replay and become one with the music of this tracklist. Best track, without discussion is 'GUID3LIN3S.'

#1: FINISH LIN3

'FINISH LIN3' begins with an intro that feels like soaring through the clouds, with a powerful drum sound that makes the listener feel like they're bigger than anything in the world. The second track, 'FLASHPOINT,' is a very slow and mystifying selection that continuously climaxes to the exciting peak, where all the synths, strings, basses and drums speak as one. This is a very easy track to get stuck on repeat, for the atmosphere it conveys. This is one of my most important songs, and I plan on doing a write-up on its composition one day soon. 'LIFTOFF' was the base for which 'FLASHPOINT' was built on, as the original was based more around of what could sound like a Weeknd song. The cranked up tempo serves as an optimistic follow-up to 'FLASHPOINT,' and I've found myself enveloped within loops of these two songs for hours. 'CAUGHT THE VIB3' removes the listener from the headspace of the previous two songs, bringing them back to a dancehall based groove, similar to 'B3ST AT IT.' 'SIR FL3XICUS' is another trap-infused banger, driven forward by a vibraphone and xylophone to make it a perfect beat for anyone looking for a beat easy to spit some rhymes over. The outro track and lead single, 'FORN3V3R' is a big throwback to a track written well before 'SKIIEZ' was even an idea. The dark EDM song features a very bass-heavy melody, before lighter synths enter to accent the melody. IN CONCLUSION, this is more than just my favourite EP, this is my finest work. The sounds, the genres, the composition all meld together to encompass everything that a VABOOLAL EP should feature. Best track is 'FLASHPOINT.'

So that's it! All my albums ranked before the hopeful release of '2048' tomorrow, featuring two well-received music videos. Just a spoiler (or clear hint) for anyone who has seen the tracklist, '2048' is a compilation of my 3 most recent EPS, with 5 new tracks tossed in. It's going to be a great listen for anyone willing to lend their ear for a brief 90 minutes. I promise it will NOT disappoint!! ~ 3VAN