Three years after the release of the previous album, George van den Broek returns as Yellow Days to surprise his fans with the new LP ‘A Day in the Yellow Beat.’ The album consists of 23 songs, however it is hard to find the indie guitar bedroom vibe as in his previous releases. On this album, Yellow Days experiments and combines smooth R&B, synth pop, funk and jazz.
The album opens with ‘Intro’, a word-spoken interlude that brings to mind the ‘Awaken, My Love’ of Childish Gambino. It is based on 70s inspired synth loop and a snippet of an interview with one of Georges idols-Ray Charles.
The ‘Intro’ flows seamlessly to the next track. In the funky ‘Break free’ Yellow Days emphasizes the essence of creative freedom that he displays in the outro, where the trumpet and the piano sound like improvised jam.
There’s no shortage of special guests like Shirley Jones in the song ‘Who’s there?’. This disco-influenced groovy beat will make you dance until you focus on nostalgic lyrics that evoke a feeling of isolation:
“It seems that all my friends are gone, babe/Well, who’s there?”
Lyrics from ‘Who’s There?’
Shirley appears in the song ‘Open Your Eyes’ as well. Although the lyrics appears to be lazy-writing, the trumpeter Nick Walters certainly gives the song freshness. Sadly, this is the only advantage that distinguishes it from other tracks.
In ‘Keeps me satisfied,’ Van den Broek musically returns to his first two albums. The song has minimalist melody that lets his raspy voice stands out. In most of the tracks on the album George’s vocals are overwhelmed by an extensive instrumental layer.
One of the best tracks is one of the singles; the psychedelic ‘The Curse’, where we can hear Van den Broek’s voice potential again. Moreover, expectations were high because of the guest appearance of Mac DeMarco, however his potential and talent might have been used better.
The last song to stand out ‘Let’s be good to each other’, sounds like a new version of Stevie Wonder ‘s song. Georg ‘s voice sounds very melodic and soulful, but unfortunately, the lyrics appear to be lazy-writing again.
Featured image by Frank Fieber //Press photo
