Coming in hot after their fourth year at Bella Terra Festival in NY this past weekend Technicolor Lenses have dropped their highly anticipated album Psychedelgates. This is their second LP since New Eyes in 2011 while in the meantime churning out two EPs Eternal Eyes and Oracle. WRR has been following the Brooklyn based group since we first came across Tech Lenses via Space Jesus and when we caught an ill set of theirs at Farm Fest this past August.
Technicolor Lenses is a collab between a group of friends consisting of guitartist Sam Eckstein (Esseks) Jackson Whalan, Carmen Estevez, and drummer Brandon Lewis (B-Riddimz). The group has a vision of meshing hip-hop with electronic that is original and innovative. There is a strong emphasis on live instrumentation that is reflected in Esseks live guitar and B-Riddimz drumming. Carmen adds her gorgeous voice and Jackson absolutely slays the lyrical flow with a style and voice that reminds me of Atmosphere.
As stated above, the band’s musical vision is to meld elements of futuristic electronic with hip-hop and this goal is evident and executed flawlessly on Psychedelegates. As listeners we are treated to a huge variety of sounds stemming from electronic, the lovely voice of Estevez, and the quick, brooding, and cerebral lyrics of Whalan. The band’s skill shines through in making all of these elements flow and work together. The best description of the album is available on their SoundCloud for the album which says,
‘Psychedelegates’ mirrors the bands’ founding vision of uniting hip-hop music and insightful rap lyricism with electronic beats and a strong emphasis on the use of live instrumentation in the recording process. The album as an idea characterizes the band as representatives for the exploration of the psyche and delegates for the imagination, while musically the songs cover a dynamic spectrum of styles and lyrical topics. With seven songs in total, the first single “Chrome Heart” showcases the groups focused approach with emcee Jackson Whalan’s quick-fast vocals riding Sam Eckstein’s haunting beat and melodic guitar lines. Another highlight is the song “Brought From Thought”, an epic production of peaks and valleys, heartfelt emotion, sweeping soundscapes, guest trumpet, and angelic vocal lines in both English and Spanish by Carmen Estevez. “Aviation” might be the heaviest track on the album with Jackson evoking rawness and lyrical aggression to a figurative opponent, honoring the traditions of hip-hop and rapping. “Underground” is a head knocking bass-centric track featuring the driving rhythms of drummer Brandon Lewis and smooth horns of Ian Stewart, ripe for the dance floor. Whether you’re trying to groove at a festival or relax in your car, Technicolor Lenses has something to tingle your spine with ‘Psychedelegates’.
Check it out below and be sure to support these guys on Bandcamp
Connect with Technicolor Lenses:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Technicolor-Lenses/193520407349006
https://soundcloud.com/technicolor-lenses
https://twitter.com/TechLenses
http://technicolorlenses.bandcamp.com/
Share On
jooouli