Parannoul is an artist that needs no introduction. Over the past three years, he has made a name for himself in the growing indie scene.
He has helped bring Korean shoegaze to the West, with heights it has never quite seen before. The artist has three incredible solo albums, incredible collaboration projects, and one of the best live albums of all time. He also recently released a groundbreaking album with Fax Gang, bending the worlds of rap, indietronica and guitar music to their very limit.
It is easy to say that Parannoul has become somethinf of an indie darling. Parannoul creates atmospheres like no other and constantly pushes the boundaries of what’s possible.
This sentiment continues to shine with Parannoul’s new album, “Sky Hundred.”
What sets this apart from other Parannoul records is how much more noise there is. Peaking cymbal crashes and gritty dissonant guitars are a trademark of this entire album. The harsh analog instrumentation complements the smooth, hypnotic flare of the piano melodies and electronic synths.
Not only does this create bold and crushing moments, but gorgeous and jubilant ones, too. Parannoul shared some of the albums that inspired him for “Sky Hundred” on an Instagram Story. These include Brave Little Abacus, Walrus and Seam, a band from the early 90’s based in Chapel Hill.
Best Songs
The opening track, “A Lot Can Happen” displays a middle ground between “After the Magic” and the rest of “Sky Hundred.”
The song leads with abrasive, peaking drums, sugar-sweet vocals and cute piano parts. It’s a prime example of Parannoul’s ability to put the listener into a revolving, blissful trance.
The vocals grow and grow, getting louder with more energy and distortion than ever from the artist. Boosted by the sparkly electronic sound effects, the distortion makes it harder and harder to discern the instruments from one another. This is one of the most emotionally high, electronic-filled Parannoul songs ever, and easily a perfect opener for this album.
“Lights Off Repentance” is one of Parannoul’s most experimental songs. Driven by a classic Parannoul whistling chiptune melody, every strum on the guitar and every beat of the drums clips. You can feel the distortion almost rattle your brain. The song grows more and more distorted in the bridge, with elements glitching in and out of the mix. It almost was trying to convey that the song was so heavy and loud that the program couldn’t comprehend it, which was honestly really cool.
“Evoke Me” is Parannoul’s longest song out of all of his mainline albums. At fourteen minutes long, Parannoul stretches out the climactic moments of this song to make them as satisfying as possible. The first climax of the song right after the five-minute mark might be considered one of my favorite moments by him. The melody is slowly pitched up by the driving piano and crashes with his life-altering scream. At this moment, I feel the music wash over me with the pure euphoria it creates.
“Backwards” is Parannoul’s most sonically uplifting song. With an upfront piano section, the song is a sweet and nostalgic piece of power pop. The uplifting nature feels very reminiscent of something like “Bodys” by Car Seat Headrest — not caring about any problems, just living in the moment. That sentiment carries over into the lyrics as well, as the song ends with the nihilistic-yet-optimistic mantra, “We all live knowing we disappear.”
Conclusion
“Sky Hundred” solidifies Parannoul as an artist who shows no creative boundaries. Being able to channel his emotions so precisely into creating beautiful music is so unique to him. Parannoul has given listeners the ability to create a utopia of peace in their heads, with “Sky Hundred” as the soundtrack.