Kai Banda's Nori showcases interesting ideas in a bite-sized package that places jazzy production front and center.
Reviewed by Ash
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Before reading this review, please support Kai Banda by streaming the album. The project can be streamed on Spotify, Amazon, Apple Music, and Soundcloud.
I WILL BE THE FIRST to admit I did not discover Kai Banda organically. Instead, I happened upon a Collegium announcement from Isabel highlighting some of Kai's recent releases. (See?? This is proof that Collegium announcements and NYU Brightspace ARE good for exposure! Try it out; you just might get a review written about your music.) The NYU MTech Music Reviews blog was but an unrealized idea I'd been lightly toying with at that point in time, but once I started writing my first reviews, I came back to Kai's music and figured I'd take a crack at reviewing it for real.
Released alongside Album 4, a titanic project that carries 51 tracks and two hours of runtime, the 17-minute Nori appears like somewhat of a small fry in comparison. However, it was for this exact reason that I chose to enter the world of Kai Banda through Nori first. I hoped it would offer an enticing glimpse into Kai's universe and give me, a new listener unfamiliar with his music, a solid sense for what I could expect from the rest of his discography, and in that sense, Nori definitely made for an interesting listen. I'd be hard-pressed to categorize the sound of this album; the LP is simply categorized as "alternative" on Apple Music, which I felt didn't do nearly enough justice to the consistently jazzy, mellow, and austere soundscape that imbues this record from start to finish. While Kai gives us plenty of vocal performances, his voice is almost like garnish, and the instrumentals are almost always the spotlight of the LP. Though this record is short, composed mainly of tracks under two minutes in length, it marks its brief runtime with a musically creative, diverse selection of musical ideas; straddling the line between songs and demos, these tracks read like little windows into Kai's creative process, showcasing a promising collision of production chops and musical feel.
The opening track, "Just Got Back From Boba", opens with warm Rhodes keyboards under halftime R&B drums and soft, whispery, layered vocals. Soon enough, we break into a synth solo, led by a funky analog lead part that solidifies this track's retro leanings. A rich, expressive piano part enters soon afterwards. Everything is performed with a precise yet skittery & staccato feel that showcases Kai's impressive skill as an instrumental performer with an instinctive understanding of funk and complex rhythm. The mixing on the track sometimes results in the vocals becoming slightly buried, but the mellow vibe and well-constructed, human-touch-laden instrumental is undeniably the track's greatest strength.
"Halloween" opens with an endearing, DIY-sounding acapella demo that sees Kai working out the verses of the song. Soon after, electronic, punchy 808 drums enter, followed by retro '80s FM pianos, sweeping pads, and warm analog synth chords that perform a progression that repeatedly modulates back and forth between minor and major in interesting ways. More overt trap-style hi-hats enter in the next section, which are de-quantized and nudged just enough off the grid to preserve the organic and human feel of the instrumental. Kai's vocals are soft and understated, never fighting for the spotlight, which works well for the track's mellow yet catchy chorus.
A wubby, sliding synth bass and warm pads introduce us to "Dominoes", soon followed by funky house drums. Kai delivers spoken rap verses with a quiet swagger and vocal delivery that reminds me of Madonna's "Vogue", solidifying this track's '90s house vibe. The subsequent "Know Where" completely switches up the vibe, though, as jazzy pianos and intricate vocal harmonies come together over muted, reverb-heavy drums. At just one minute long, this track really left me wanting more.
"Closer to You" features a huge snare amongst a sparse drum groove, rounded analog synth fifths, and a massive synth bass that solidifies this track's edgy rendering of retro synthwave. This is another shorter track that in my own personal opinion feels like it's missing a strong chorus to really bring it home, but as a short musical idea, it makes for a cool listen.
"Sneak Out" has no vocals, being a purely instrumental endeavor, and features one of the most interesting melodies on the entire record, along with an insane chord progression I couldn't wrap my head around at all. Ominous, slightly dissonant repeating pad chords play slowly in the background while a plucky lead synth plays an off-kilter melody. High electric piano chimes and a crazy, sliding, reverbed bass further add to this track's slightly demented horror aesthetic. The ambiguously tonal, dark yet chill atmosphere makes for an interesting experience that showcases Kai's talent as an instrumentalist and musician with a great sense for writing complex chords and melodies.
"In My Own Way" carries funky piano chords over a pseudo-disco drum rhythm, resulting in a sound akin to a jazzier Donna Summer. Kai's vocals are particularly well-suited for this vibe; not overly corrected, his vocals are left with a lot of room for microtonal nuances and moments of human expression, and the harmonies are great. In contrast, "Going Through" employs a slanted, off-kilter drum pattern with exotic, extended electric piano chords, creating a distinctly jazzy vibe under doubled vocals, almost like a jazz fusion with '90s boom bap. The fully instrumental "PLD" marks a total vibe switch, as we get distinctly modern-sounding, cavernous synth chords under shimmering, downtempo trap drums to create an atmosphere of swirling psychedelia. This is a track I really wish was longer. Kai's fleeting foray into trap music brings his jazzy chords and interesting sound selection and maps it over a totally different style in a way that I thought was intriguing and extremely well-executed. Some strong rap verses over a beat this good would almost surely make for a powerhouse of a track.
The album ends with "LT", wherein piano opens the song on a pleasant, shifting jazz progression. Sparse, slightly noisy '90s R&B drums and a high lead synth give this track almost a G-funk, Dr. Dre-esque aesthetic. I found myself itching for Kai to bust out another rap verse, but no such luck; he is more than content to let the instrumentals have the limelight.
Overall, as a short collection of songs, Nori is an attractive and exciting look at a talented and savvy producer doing what he does best. Kai manages to communicate a wealth of instrumental ideas and inspired production in a tight, 17-minute package that left me itching for more. The R&B and jazz sensibilities at the root of Kai's production continually manifest themselves throughout the record, I feel that this decision was a really good one. The first two tracks feel like the album's only "full" songs in the conventional sense, but that's not a detraction from the rest of the record. My biggest complaint with the album is merely that a lot of these one to two-minute songs are so good and so promising that I wish they were longer, more structured, and fully decked out with verses, choruses, bridges, solos… but ultimately, that's not what this album is about. Perhaps the concurrent Album 4 will scratch the itch for more Kai Banda, and Nori is an exciting preview into what awaits deeper in his musical catalogue.
Personal enjoyment score: 7.5 out of 10
Standout tracks: "Halloween", "Dominoes", "In My Own Way", "PLD", "LT"
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