
THE ROBBA: The Robba
By Andrew Hughes
If you like a bit of everything, then you'll enjoy this album by Northland-based artist The Robba. The self-titled debut entertains a wide variety of moods with samples, synths, guitar, hip hop, punk, drum 'n bass and countless other influences enveloped in the one project. His music is articulate and expresses a thorough understanding of each genre touched on, while remaining purposefully messy and so giving it the niche-market nod. Many cuts are a mash up of sounds, but when The Robba moves toward a specific sound, like the drum 'n bass infused Eyes Open, he executes. Moments become epic and addictive with the combination of live drums, synth, horn, vocals and bass layers on Spiritual Enough, showing signs of brilliance. Ways To Lose draws on Steve Reich's It's Gonna Rain with a repetitive vocal loop, while I'm Super exposes a structured, playful rock track showing his musical range and ability. Released independently, it's definitely worth checking this one out for the impressive array of production stylings.
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