파란노을 (Parannoul) – After the Magic
I realise that making this post long after my Sky Hundred post seems backward but I just never really appreciated this album until now
At first, I dismissed this album. Upon first discovering Parannoul, I, like many, listened to their entire discography to find hidden gems. This led me to songs such as Into the Endless Night and my favorites from TSTNPOTD such as Analog Sentimentalism and White Ceiling however upon first listening to After the Magic my only real takeaway was “that Polaris song was unique”... After listening to Sky Hundred on release it was clear to me now that After the Magic was unique. Sky Hundred like TSTNPOTD was harsh and raw yet familiar to Parannoul listeners. It was fast-paced and loud. This isn't the case with After the Magic, the songs are slow, quiet, and sometimes even relaxing. Being the second large project out of Parannoul the singing is still similarly raw and untrained as in TSTNPOTD. Parannoul states their motivation behind this work:
“I'm always afraid of when things I enjoy now will disappear and when people will leave my side. I think it's a kind of magic where everything shines brightly for a moment and then disappears as if nothing had happened.“-Parannoul on bandcamp*
Parannoul claims this album was inspired by a dream. The tracks in the album follow a sort of narrative as it attempts to express the dream to the listeners with each track somewhat linearly representing stages through the dream from start to end. There is an emphasis on impermanence linking the classic case of forgetting a dream shortly after it is over and Parannoul's previously stated fear that “things I enjoy now will disappear “.
For me this album is a welcome change from TSTNPOTD and rest bite after listening to Sky Hundred. Its songs are unique to this album in their almost “twinkly” nature. Some of my favorites are Insomnia due to an intense yet catchy percussive section and sudden changes in tempo and noise as well as Blossom for its almost crazed ending as it winds down to the end of the album.
This album was a collaborative work featuring some vocals from Della Zyr and Guitar by Asian Glow I highly recommend checking them out as they also produce amazing music.
*this quote was re-translated as I thought it was more clear than the Bandcamp translation