Casino Wilderness Period by Sacha Mullin | Album Review
Chicago-based artist Sacha Mullin returns with a soulful throwback sound on this latest release.
Sometimes new music happens to fall into your lap. I got to listen to singer/songwriter Sacha Mullin’s latest record, Casino Wilderness Period, before its release on November 14th, 2023. The Chicago based started his music career with his debut album Whelm in 2013. As his career began to blossom, he got to expand his reach by working with the likes of Mitski and Bobby McFerrin. In between his time releasing solo work, he also sang for Cheer-Accident and Lovely Little Girls. After a 5 year dry period between his solo projects, Mullin has returned to his more soulful sound on his most recent release.
The album begins with the cool soulful pop of “Arranging Flowers.” What I appreciate the most from this song is its silky piano melody that brings to mind the languorous sound of say Kylie Minogue’s self-titled release in 1994. The song looks at how things begin to fall apart after the honeymoon period of a relationship, “all in all, a hero tends to falter/ we learn them, then burn them/ and find that we could all do better.” I think the edit of the song used for radio play adds more texture and energy to the song than the original lacks.
“Waves” goes for a bit more of a cool jazz sound. My biggest complaint about this song is how monotone both the keys and Sacha’s vocals are throughout feel from start to finish. It holds this tension that begs for release, yet is never granted. Something about the mix creates a bit of a clashing sound between Mullin's vocals and the little diversity in the key's melody. I will say some of the tension works nicely against the pulling ache he has surrounding a past relationship. Sacha’s words show this internal struggle rather well, “oh what I’d give to feel your arms; to hear you breathe if only/ to soothe these aching muscle memories/ but I refuse to regress, inside I’ll learn reprieve/ onward I wade, through jades, the blues, and me.” I think if the track had either more energy in its tension or a sharper release, it would take it to the next level.
We climb back into the soulful textures that compliment Sacha’s drawn vocals on “Thanks.” The combination of organ and piano emanates a sense of drama that balances well again curving swells of Mullin and company’s vocal melodies. Mullin angst swells as he releases his frustrations surrounding the toll this relationship has left on him, “but true to form of a rock slide/ you keep on quaking my life/ and thus this glasshouse inside
has got to board the walls and entryways/ so as not to shatter from a handful of gilded pride/ (I really cannot wait/ until I never have to think again).” Though lyrically the song can feel a little dense, I do appreciate the overall vibe and themes that run through this piece.
“Neptune in the Snow” is one of the weaker songs from this release. the constant pulsing hum of the synth sample distracts from the surrounding instruments. I wish it was more ambient and further back to add a sense of cold mystery to the overall melody. The interstellar hum does pull focus onto Sacha’s metaphor of isolation and loneliness through the cold, beauty of the planet Neptune, “to know/ you cling and you cling and you cling to the far reaches/ to your shadows.” As the track currently stands, I think that the synth blip subtracts more than it adds.
One of the biggest highlights from this album is the softer sound of “Margaret.” I like that the production keeps a bit more of a live character in both Sacha's and the band’s performances. Something about this sound reminds me quite a bit of fellow singer/songwriter Gregory Douglass’s work. Mullins seeks an emotional connection with a departed friend, “Margaret, Margaret, Margaret, are you coming home?/ are you coming home?/ are you coming home?/ your absence leaves me lonely.” I like the exchange that he develops here between the titular character and him.
“Fiberglass” brings out a lovely throwback to the adult contemporary pop sound of the early 90s. Its mix of dramatic vocals, synth, and keys brings to mind flowing curtains caught in the breeze all lit under soft light. Sacha uses the metaphor of fiberglass to show the abrasive and hazardous native of his anxieties, “off and on/ fiberglass/ cuts and digs itself in vicious ways
that daylight/ couldn’t see coming then a splinter forms in skin/ and duress.” I quite enjoy how he uses this notion to convey the various emotional and mental barrages that slowly irritate and harm you. It’s one of the strongest written songs on the record.
“Telepathy” brings back some of the more R&B-influenced sounds that work quite well against Mullin’s vocal performance. Again, the song plays to some of Sacha’s frustrations surrounding his lack of guidance on what his partner needs to make them happy. Even the use of telepathy wouldn’t satiate what they truly need, “if I’d had telepathy, I'd known just what you want/ but still not what we’d need your eyes were auguries of all the emptiness I’ve come-a-to depend on.”
“Window Out” has some of the strongest production and performances on the album. The luscious grey hues brought out by Mullin and the band bring to mind the sultry vibes of the late 80s/early 90s R&B. I absolutely love how all the vocals and instruments swirl together in this sort of opaque blend of sound. We end the album beckoning to let your feelings out, “tell him you love him/ sing us a tune for a whim/ ’cause you never know quite when the hour’s dim/ invite him for dinner/ and give him a tour of hearth and home the clock turns to 24/ and the soul explodes.” This is probably my favorite of the songs from this project. I think both the sound and sentiment marry quite well together.
Of the 3 bonus tracks, “Love Sisyphean” is the most stark difference from the soft-pop sound that came before. It’s much more alt-rock coded. I do wish some of the guitar work was a bit less forward so as to not drown out Sacha’s vocals. I do like how the rock sound plays to the angst that Sacha feels around the hot and cold nature of this relationship. He relates the love he and this man have to the torturous eternity of pushing a boulder uphill that Sispheous was cursed to do, “but is it really what I want?/ a man whose kiss feels nonchalant?/I think I’d rather a détente/ ’cause you’ll never give me what I want this is /we’re /I’m in a love Sisyphean.” This change in sound and energy is a welcomed deviation from his more soulful tone that coated the album before.
The second bonus track, “Power!,” is quite a bit more out there. Sacha opts for a darker, ominous treatment with some heavy synth samples to add tension. I find the vocals on this song to be way too discordant to suit me. I also have a hard time untangling some of the dense lyricism from Mullin, “So, you think this is easy?/ Well hell, why not!/ Lordy knows you’re a sucker/ Floor is written as lava (got a flair for a samba!)/ C’mon and jazz square for your life/ C’mon and show me what you got before I exercise good thought.” I can get a sort of uneasy lust pulled at you from this track. Honestly, this song isn’t for me. I wish it was a bit more formed to really grab at that dark sense of avarice. It’s the weakest song from the collection for me.
“Wishing on a Star” is one of my favorites from this work. This is included on his 7" single release for the album’s lead single “Arranging Flowers.” The song is a cover of an old Alexz Johnson song from her time on the Disney channel show So Weird (back in 2001). It’s an interesting choice for a cover. The original has aged quite a bit and sounds like a dance-pop number made for a youthful Disney star. Mullin washes the entire song in an ambient wave of synths and gives it much more dimension. Its synth-heavy sound works wonderfully with Sacha’s aesthetic. I’m impressed how he took a song I wouldn’t have thought twice about and made it into something special.
Mullin’s sound reminds me in some ways of Bruce Hornsby with its more key-forward sound and singer/songwriter lyricism. The soulful yet nostalgic nature of the vast majority of this album was a lovely surprise when I initially heard this record. My biggest hurdle is some of the density of the lyrics on this album. At times I felt a bit lost in some of the meaning that Sacha was drawing from. I feel that additional listening to this album will help to clarify some of that confusion. A few songs, “Neptune in the Snow”, “Waves” & “Power!”, either felt a bit too abstract or abrasive for my sonic palette. If you are a fan of adult contemporary music with some complexity, I think you’ll dig this release. My overall thoughts on Casino Wilderness Period:
Loved it: “Thanks.”, “Margaret”, “Window Out”, “Love Sisyphean” & “Wishing on a Star”
Liked it: “Arranging Flowers”, “Fiberglass” & “Telepathy”
Disliked it: “Neptune in the Snow”, “Waves” & “Power!”
My overall review: 5.0 out of 10.
Sources:
