'Behind The Bleachers', Top Of The List

An Indian summer is a heat wave that occurs in the autumn. It refers to a period of considerably above normal temperatures, accompanied by dry and hazy conditions, usually after there has been a killing frost. Depending on latitude and elevation, the phenomenon can occur in the Northern Hemisphere between late September and mid-November.
 

This is the opposite of a Blackberry winter.

Before checking out the mixtape by Behind The Bleachers I had never heard of either expression. Indian Summer strikes (or rather struck me) as rather odd name for a project, all things considered. As always with writing these reviews I seek to unemcumbered by my first impressions. That would be the reason why I listened.

At first listen Behind The Bleaches remind me a little bit of N.E.R.D. in the eclectic nature of the sounds.
When you listen you may hear something different but that's what I heard.

To be quite honest I would probably purchase this if this had been an album in stores.

Why?

Because it captures a vibe, a cool something that I cannot call anything other than an amazing sonci ambience.

　

Take "The Closest I Ever Got To Paris" for an example. A good musical ear can hear Jill Scott's hit "He Loves Me (Lyzel In E Flat)"heavy on this track. As near as my mind and ears could ascertain it's a cool, solemn track about losing a woman loved due to his own foolish mistakes. Many can relate there.

"Take It Slow" is a different matter. It is a bit higher, a bit faster moving. This is ironic despite the slowed down vocal sample of John Legend from "Ordinary People". Yet in the similarity colmn you can feel a certain positivity here just like you got from the aforementioned John Legend track.

The track that was most catching to me?

"Sarah Marshall"

A movie a while back told us that we should do our part in forgetting her but this track is soft and catch. Having heard it I was and still am sure that this beat was taken directly from the movie. Ironically enough this song has a similar theme to the movie-forgetting about sweet Sarah Marshall, Marshall here being a euphemism for a certain woman.

Without a doubt, this is a damn good mixtape. Maybe we should all sit behind the bleachers and enjoy an Indian Summer.


*Review Courtesy of Lucius Black for @RoyaltyMagazine