producer: know1 and human

This is the third project getting reviewed, that features Know1's work. While on Angle's album he's been mainly responsible for beats, and while he carried his own EP "Lousy Person", he now teams up with Human to release this demo as Soft Focus called "The Parlance Of ...Scruples". But why even review demos? And even worse, why even review demos that write in their cover that the sound quality is inferior (due to the music not being mastered)? Well, there's a couple of more or less good reasons, however, there's at least one excellent reason: the music is good, and you want to use this chance to let the readers as much as the artists know.

The record is twelve tracks deep with the best three tracks are coming on in the middle, one after the other. This triple is started by "Energy", that features the strings that might have been lifted off a classic big budget Japan Animation movie. Meaning that the strings are excellent, melancholic and the carrier of unspoken messages. This however is moved further with difficult drums, lending even more character. Lyrically this is discussing an awe that is felt being confronted with the majesty of nature and its appearances. What then is making the lyricist coming to the difficult finding, that "what can we believe, only what it is we see / but my eyes, are playing tricks on me". The middle cut is "Cloud's Prey", somewhat a sequel to the first song. However here the lyrics are more focused on the person himself, as he's speaking like intoxicated diary words, concluding "I'm just a broken toy on someone else's shelf". The beat is percussion heavy, but features more sound effects, that not only change but are also able to stir up emotions. Now the last cut in our trilogy is "Outta Space", that's based on a guitar, and that's quite butter smooth. Lyrically this is similarly content, or better hopeful, as this is discussing so much what's wrong, but it's giving us the hopeful perspective of how everything could eventually play out.

But there are more cuts outside of this threesome, that we are enjoying very much. One of 'em is "Eyecon", that's rather intensive, featuring a quite possible live played drum. And in the background space sounds are flying past by like shooting stars. "Relocate" is also keeping things in science fiction chapters, with low quirky sounds being present throughout much of the track, while they at times get exchanged with more real sounds. Lyrically this is going a somewhat stereotypical underground cats route, as it's mainly of introspective character, that for an outside listener can be confused with rambling, with the topics crossing through different areas all in an un-beneficial small amount of time and space. The opening track "Too Much Effort" is also to our liking, as this is one of the best examples for the complexity that the beats process. Different layers are put over each other, but they are mainly separating the elements from each other, and rarely are being played at the same time. "Radio Is Fun" starts with a sample that sounds like lifted off a cowboy soundtrack, like John Bon Jovi's "Blaze Of Glory". But we checked and didn't find it on there (but please don't ask how we got our hands on it). Lastly "Technicolor Wasteland" shall also be mentioned, with more cool strings, and further intensive vibes being driven.

The rest of the tracks are however not leaving us in disgust. They are merely not as good as the ones just mentioned. On those cuts the beats are leaving us demanding more, and the lyrics are only sounding further off center, and hiding one common theme that makes it effortless or easy for us to dive into them. What further hurts them, and that also goes for the other cuts: it obviously hurts the overall impression, that these cuts are still in a demo stage, and especially the voices are lacking clarity, being mainly buried within the sounds, that are also sometimes appearing to be a mush. What still isn't able to prevent us from hearing the undeniable quality this music possesses. They sure have to overcome a few things that are holding 'em back, but this is definitely on the right path.