Trevor Powers - Mulberry Violence

Trevor Powers since the early 2010's, has been making whimsical, Low-Fi Indie Pop under the name of Youth Lagoon.  Now, it actually took me a really long time to warm up to the Youth Lagoon project.  The first time I really listened to his debut with the project, 2011's "The Year of Hibernation", It didn't really hit me too hard.  Between the very hazy production and Trevor's very unique, quiet singing voice, it really didn't leave too much of an impact.  But hearing tracks lie "Afternoon" and "July" in the last few months again, I can start to really see the appeal.  Trevor was often working with some very hazy, quiet performances, but man were they ever packed with emotion.  But with Youth Lagoon's 2013 album "Wondrous Bughouse", I felt like Trevor was playing so much more to his strengths. This was a beautiful, colorful album that still featured the Low-Fi production and somber lyrics.  But as a whole, I was just so much more into this.  Tracks like "Dropla" and "Mute" stuck with me so much, and I just felt like Youth Lagoon really were on to something interesting and different.  Youth Lagoon returned once again in 2015 with "Savage Hills Ballroom", a much more stripped down and elegant album.  Here, Trevor seemed to be out of his shell a little.  Now, I know people aren't as into this album as other Youth Lagoon projects, but I think it's still pleasant.  Tracks like "Kerry" were just super sweet ballads that showed Trevor was wonderful at penning these ballads.  And yes, it wasn't as colorful or as Low-Fi.  But still, I enjoyed this album.   So since then, Trevor has been quiet, disbanding the Youth Lagoon project. But Trevor is back with his first real solo effort, and I'll be honest for the most part I'm really not into all these singles.  Let's chat guys.

Well, I have to say, “XTQ Idol” is actually a pretty exciting and shocking intro.  It’s got some big, beefy production, and Trevor’s vocals are as haunting and genuinely strange as ever.  This track is absolutely twisted overall.  I do like the very glitchy and abrasive production, but that’s really all sadly.  Like, I like this track and all, but it’s nothing that I haven’t heard done anywhere else and a thousand times better.  Like, I’ve enjoyed Trevor’s music in the past, but he’s not James Blake.  It’s an interesting track though, one I don’t completely hate.  But he’s gotta come up with something a little more original if he’s going to continue down this path.  On the other hand, I actually do really love “Dicegame” from start to finish.  There’s just so much sorrow and mystery in this track.  The synths are just so cold, and they end up sounding so well aside of Trevor’s small voice.  Here, this is something I feel like I haven’t heard anywhere else, and it’s something that actually creeps the hell out of me.  Like, the effects on his vocals are downright terrifying.  Like, if this beat was heavier, this would be an industrial banger practically.  It’s a weird one, but I’m totally down with this.  But then we get “Pretend It’s Confetti”, which is just this asinine interlude.  Yea the production is wonky and glitchy and certainly ear grabbing.  But this album has barely started getting on track, I just didn’t need this.  I do, however, like the low-key funk of “Clad in Skin”, which alongside the genuine mystery of this, actually makes for a bizarre and strange track.  But call me nuts, it works.  The production here takes a little bit of a back step, as this isn’t nearly as abrasive.  But with Trevor’s very unique vocals as well this bizarre atmosphere, this one is strange man.  But it’s also so ghoulish and freakish that it actually really sticks with me.  Plus the groove on this one, that’s classy Trevor.  

On the other hand, “Playwright” seems to be tugging at some more spiritual roots which on paper sounds great.  We get some very light guitars, Trevor’s gentle vocals, and nothing else.  Like, sure, we get some blasts of synths.   But it’s gotten to the point where literally it’s not shocking or wild, it just sounds desperate.  While this track is personal and Trevor’s performances are emotional, to say that this isn’t a seriously boring tune would just be lying.  “Film It All”, is once again, another very bland and sort of tasteless Alternative R&B rip off.  This time at least Trevor gives us a little bit of a beat to really sink your teeth into, which is big.  But as far as his vocal performance goes, this is amateur hour at it’s worst.  Sure the chorus is twisted and genuinely evil sounding.  But everything else about this track just seems so desperate.  At the very least, “Squelch” has some seriously exciting production, and among the very quiet atmosphere and these sporadic instrumentals, this is out there man.  But the pacing of this one is still so off, and Trevor’s performance is just so hard to wrap my head around.  There are some really cool elements to this, but as it rolls on and the instrumental just gets bigger and bigger, I feel like things just start clashing so hard and none of it sounds good.  But hey, I’ll give this to Trevor, “Ache’ is a fantastic track.  I love the very swanky sort of funk that actually reminds me a bit of that Years & Years album.  It’s sleek, sexy, and genuinely groovy.  And of all of the tracks here, I feel like Trevor actually sounds brilliant here.  Or at the very least here he sounds the most focused, hell this is practically an honest to God Pop tune.  But it’s easily the most engaging and genuinely interesting track here.  It’s also seriously dramatic at times, and I’m all for it.  

Then we get “Plaster Saint” and hey!  Once again, there’s actually some genuine emotion here.  I love the lush pianos, and with just how minimal this is works wonders with he very abrasive production.  I love the grimy, dark, twisted beat and Trevor’s vocals which are his most genuinely freakish yet.  But when he reaches his higher register he honestly gives some of his most memorable bars of this album.  It’s beautiful and personal sounding while remaining as genuinely experimental.  Like, here, he’s taken all of this sounds he’s been working with here, and actually making a sound with it that I can set aside.  And honestly man, it’s good.  But with “Common Hoax”, am I missing something?  Like, yea there’s an atmosphere, one of the best of the bunch, and it’s cool.  But Trevor just sounds so awkward here.  When there’s not abrasive production to coat Trevor’s vocals it just isn’t flattering.  And I feel bad because his performance is heartfelt and I love how the instrumental almost comes off like a “Fragile” era Nine Inch Nails instrumental, just not as perfect.  I’m not sold on this one my friends, Trevor’s new direction is in a really weird place. 

Rating: 6.5/10


Give A Listen To: “Dicegame”, “Clad In Skin”, “Ache”, “Plaster Saint”

Least Favorite Track: “Playwright"

Genre: Art Pop / Experimental Pop 

Overall Thoughts:  Trevor Powers on this album throws off every Youth Lagoon fan by cranking the volume up to outrageous new levels.  It’s an album fueled by heavily-drenched vocals and blasts of synths and gnarly production that would make Trent Reznor blush.  But this isn’t a unique sound at all sadly.  There may be exciting moments, but Trever spends most of his time here ripping off Alternative R&B legends and stumbling to find his own sound.  Which yea, he eventually does sort of find, and there are a few gems throughout this.  But this is an overall very strange start to Trevor’s new journey.