Urban Tranquility

From left: Beets (2012); Beets 2 (2013); Beets 3 (2015); Beets 4 (2017)

The album artwork for Birocratic's (New York-by-New Jersey producer and multi-instrumentalist Brandon Rowan) latest addition to his Beets collection places its organic namesake in the foreground of a seemingly symmetrical cutout of a distinctly industrial urban landscape. You could interpret this as a visual analogy for his sonic juxtapositions of lush vocal samples and old school hip hop beats with chilled-out instrumentals (hence the monikers 'chill hop' and 'instrumental hip hop'): an energetic, modern and urban twist on the type of classical music one might associate with rigid conventions and decorum.

While Beets 4 largely stays within the conventions established by its predecessors, there are several notable changes. The tracks are mostly longer and more fully-realized than before, creating a more immersive listening experiece. With the clear exception of "The Ballad of Saxy Susan", Rowan has chosen to reduce his usage of truncated vocal samples, opting instead for pure instrumentation for most of the album.

Album opener "Bob Ross Goes to Hollywood" presents some disco funk influences that lend a hint of retro exoticism, while "Corporate Japan" presents a subtle Eastern influence via the use of a sampled Koto riff. Many of track names aptly evoke the rhythms of daily modern life ("Sleepyface", "Tony's Belated Breakfast", "Disco Dan Adjusts to Suburban Life", "Bleary Eyes"), while others suggest a whiff of routine-disrupting romance: "Leaving Her Flowers", "The Ballad of Saxy Susan", "Lovely Rita", "Sophisticated Gentleman". 

As with his previous work, Birocratic offers an tranquil-yet-dynamic listening experience that seems like the perfect soundtrack for a relatively busy day in and about a sunny and architecturally dense urban milieu. The entire album is certainly worth several listens; the only problem lies in the shared similarities of many of the tracks, which can prompt your mind to lose focus on what you are listening to. "Matlack", with its funk influences and evocative vocal samples, stood out as the most distinctive track to me.