Music Review // NTHNL "What Kind of World is This?" (Youngbloods)

https://nthnlsound.bandcamp.com/album/what-kind-of-world-is-this

This one begins with a nice keyboard type of synth, like we're in space, but then you can also begin to hear the birds chirping within it as well.  A flute comes in for this magical ride and it just feels like such a nice dream.  Beats kick in now to take this to another level and then the flute returns solo.  Beats return in a sort of trill way now and that takes us into the second song, which also has piano keys and those percussion claps.  This feels like hip hop in a lot of ways, like music you'd heard with 2Pac.  

When we get into "Tiresias Rock" we hit these beats that will make you want to get up and dance.  It's just such a stone cold groove, but then there is also the fact that the flute is joining in as well to add to the party.  This has a rather upbeat and friendly vibe.   Within all of this now, as the flute takes a break a sax comes in and it just has this feeling of an ensemble being on stage as different musicians take turns.  When the sax finishes its piece, I imagine a great deal of applause from the crowd, if this was live.  Words are coming in now, but they are spoken, and this is just taking off to a whole other level of music.

Into the fourth song now, it feels like we're shaking but I also recognize it as a snare drum.  A bit of synth whirr joins in and the beats just take us to that place where we drive at night with sunglasses on.   The fifth song is called "Descent" and it feels like we're just dropping down into something so the name checks out.  If you played this while free-falling at an amusement park or that type of thing it would be quite scary if you were afraid of heights.   Magical tones bring about the skip beats in the next song now.  

Clanky electronics come in on "Hate Creator", which then also has these deep bass expanding synths behind them.   As the flute comes in fluttering, big guitar riffs join in as well and this has almost a video game sound to it as well.   The tones are a bit higher up now, calmer for "Torture Temptation".  This has those great keys and then the acoustic sounding percussion kicks in making this feel like we're on an adventure in the jungle.   This really has just built up to strong video game fighting sounds now, like Street Fighter even.   This takes us into the next song which is just a straight up dance EDM number.  

The guitars come through on this in a frantic way and this just feels like it's going out of control.   Into a steady Run Lola Run bass drive now.   "Destruction of the Institutes" can feel like we're on a spy mission now, ala the show Alias.   "Face Up, Twilight" comes in with keys and flutes, then Nakama brings out the rap as there are also vocals on this song.  "Return to Earth" comes in with this big sax feel, like a snakecharmer, but then the flute comes out with the beats as well.   This all really builds up big to the end and finishes with a bang.