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MUSIC
REVIEWS
D.R.A.M.
Big Baby D.R.A.M.
How refreshing is it to see a hip hop
artist smile?
Virginian D.R.A.M.’s (Does Real Ass
Music) debut album is exactly what
you imagine when you look at its cover:
entertaining, cheerful and not afraid to
make fun of itself.
Following in the footsteps of friend and
tour mate Chance The Rapper, D.R.A.M.
mixes soulful R’n’B beats with gospel influences. From the
slinky Erykah Badu duet
WIFI
to the effortlessly sleek
Sweet VA
Breeze
, D.R.A.M. shows a depth of musical understanding many
of us didn’t know he was capable of; comparisons to Luther Vandross or Barry White shouldn’t be dismissed. The 28-year-
old has a seriously smooth (and deep) voice.
Alternatively, D.R.A.M. has the ability to instantly turn the vibe on its head with a party banger. That comes through
the one-two punch that is
Cash Machine
and the contagiously amusing lead single
Broccoli
, featuring Lil Yatchy. The most
appealing part of
Big Baby D.R.A.M.
though is its imperfections. D.R.A.M. isn’t trying to be flawless; his voice crackles
and creases with buoyant optimism, and the only autotune heard is from the aforementioned Yatchy and the Young Thug-
featured slow burner
Misunderstood
.
(
Big Baby D.R.A.M.
is out now via Warner)
TINY LITTLE HOUSES
Snow Globe EP
A year on from their excellent debut
You
Tore Out My Heart
, Melbourne sad boys
Tiny Little Houses have lifted their own
bar even higher on sophomore EP
Snow
Globe
.
Opening track
Meditate Me
’s jangly
fuzz is instant evidence of a band not
resting on their laurels; their fuller
sound is intensified by frontman Caleb
Karvountzis’ bleak cynicism. The sorrow doesn’t stop there – title
track
Snow Globe
carries on appropriately. “I’m only a miserable
man” is sighed out during lead single
Song Despite Apathy
, not
to be lost within its tasty punk riffs.
Tucked inside the six tracks is a self-deprecating, emo-fuzz cover of Kasey Chambers’
Am I Not Pretty Enough
(just
when I thought I had erased any memory of that song from my brain). Closer
Lonely People
shows a tiny glimpse of
optimism, though the heavily-anchored tone set in the preceding five tracks doesn’t allow it to shine through. With their
second release it seems the sky is the limit for Tiny Little Houses, even if they are staring at the ground.
(
Snow Globe
is out now via Ivy League)
Words
Tim Lambert
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