When Aramis first sent us his album, I knew I’d heard his name before. Turns out not only does he play the role of Prog on Alpha Riff’s Digital Champions: Migdal Bavel, I also had a random track by him called “For My N3rdz,” which is from his Black Adam Mixtape. So between this and the addition of “616” to his moniker (which is itself a Three Musketeers reference) on his Bandcamp page, I was already predisposed to like his music. And I was not disappointed by the new album.
There’s plenty to like on this album. Stylistically, most of the tracks have a nice mellow vibe, although that doesn’t necessarily match the lyrics. I should note that that’s not meant as any kind of criticism; plenty of songs and artists exhibit that tension between lyrics and music. When it works, it just serves to emphasize the lyrics even more, and Aramis’s tracks work. A good example would be “The Real,” a jazzy track about Aramis’s views on life and politics. The music may be laid back, but the views are clearly passionate.
And of course there’s plenty to geek out on, too. Take “Ragequit!” as an example. Clearly from the title, this is a song about getting angry at video games (and throwing your controller across the room). I’ve certainly felt that, and I’m not even a huge gamer. “Parker Bros.” is a clever track about Spider-Man, playing off the game company and Peter’s last name. And there’s “The Ride,” a love song using plenty of geeky references to woo a fellow geek. My favorite line is “Drop your shield, and you can be my Agent May.” Nice.
This is a fine debut album from a talented artist. I have little doubt that we’ll be hearing more from Aramis. I’m also working on getting him on the podcast soon, so look forward to that. In the meantime, check out Sleight of Hand and enjoy!
