Music Review // Patrick Ames "The Virtualistics"

https://patrickames.bandcamp.com/album/the-virtualistics

When "The Virtualistics" first begins I hear a sound somewhat like a jam band or classic rock.  It makes me think of that "Lowrider".   But that first song also happens to be about what the title states: "Help People Up" and I dig the positivity.   By the second song we are reminded of the pandemic with "Second Wave" being about the virus and lies.   I often feel like the fact that in the year 2021 we have something such as the internet is a good thing because we can reach a lot of people in a short period of time.  But it's also a bad thing because it's full of so much misinformation that people are willing to believe.

If there is a recall on something- if meat will make you sick for example- a notice is put out and everyone seems to agree with "Don't buy this meat or you'll get sick".   But now when we have a worldwide virus and they say "Take the vaccine to help stop the spread" people who might not have even graduated high school suddenly become doctors.   It's a bit crazy but I also wonder if in the time of polio had people been gifted with social media would they have gotten the vaccine or would many more have died.

"Rubber and Glue" is a sort of fun song about what the title says, an old adage from when we were kids.   There is soul to this sound and then on "Great Bunch of Molecules" the tempo slows down to that acoustic ballad state and it teaches us science but also presents an old idea in a new way.  I do like the lyrics throughout this album because they have a different way of viewing things than most songs do.  

Through a nice rock drive- almost disco- we get into "Essential Worker" which is about what the title says and also takes us back to the pandemic.  "Songwriter's Block" is about using more vowels and your song will sing while "You Make Me Scream" reminds me a bit of that "Jungle Boogie".   "Reawakened 2020" has a gospel vibe to it but overall this just feels like classic rock with a modern update because of the lyrics and you don't really hear classic rock presented in a modern way such as this so it should appeal to both fans of music old and new.