All Good Things [LP]

Vinyl LP pressing. 2017 release. Prolific UK producer ELWD (pronounced Ellwood) is back with his beat odyssey All Good Things. The album continues his trademark lo-fi, soul-drenched production. Not one to follow conventional song structures or methods, ELWD focuses more on loops blended with live instrumentation and abstract directions, to evoke a feeling that ends whenever it feels right. Sometimes merging two beats into one, his dynamic approach gives every project a fresh flow that has you engaged from start to finish. Opener 'dreamdntsleep' sets the soulful spirit instantly, the common thread throughout the record's narrative. 'inbloom' continues this upbeat feeling, with heavy hitting drum breaks and mashed up samples. But things get gradually more mellow and then eerie towards the end of side one, rolling effortlessly into side two with a reflective and conscious edge. The degraded saxophone on 'lottalivin' gives the melody a more haunting feel while still remaining infectious and 'yemaybe' features a distant contemplative voice over live keys and drums, feeding furtherinto the album's unique theme and direction. Ambient music also plays a part in ELWD's influences and closing tracks 'newcolours' and 'noicecream' offer weightless, meditational pieces that end the album on an optimistic note. To close, in ELWD's own words: "I tried to narrow down many feelings and thoughts from the past year. It's very personal to me and I hope the people dig it.".