Total Rating: 7.8

Original Review (2/9/2021):

This album comes off as an experimental one. A lot of the tracks feel as if they are going for something different. The stoners and the hippies will definitely dig this album thanks to it's 60s/70s Psychadelic Era vibes.

It has good progression until "Hit Pause" starts. I almost didn't add this song to my "didn't like" list, but the sudden stops make you think "oh that was a short one" on the first pause and starts to land on the annoying side the second time around. It picks back up with "Shake My Head Like a Rattle", but still ends up fizzling out in the last three tracks.

The lyrics are more on the existential side, but tend to touch on interesting philosophical points. One of my my favorites being "There's a Fine Line" where CHW gives a really clear idea of the duality of all kinds of perspectives and how they are forever changing and shifting.

The vocals are very pleasing and fit the instrumentals. They kinda remind me of The Claypool Lennon Delirium or a similar type of jam band's vocals. The guitar solos and 80s-like synths in in some songs are very satisfying as well.

In summary, this is a very chill album that you'd probably throw on if you and some buddies were about to light some fat broccoli wands. I highly recommend it.

Songs I like:
Underwater
There's a Fine Line
Shake My Head Like a Rattle

Songs I didn't like:
Hit Pause

Original Rating: 7/10

Updated Review (3/1/2023):

Honestly, my opinion hasn't changed very drastically on this project. This was a fun one to go back to, and I even found a few new tracks that I overlooked last time, but it does have flaws. Even some of the better tracks like "There's a Fine Line" and "Shake My Head Like a Rattle" can get a little repetitive due to the structure of many of these tracks. Chris' concepts are a bit strange and can also be hard to wrap your head around. That being said, when a concept does click for you, it's very profound and often contains a very uplifting and motivational message. "Energy Moves", for example, is a song that sort of personifies "energy" as this guiding force that's always flowing regardless of if you see it. You just got to feel it. There's also fun concepts like the one in "You Can't See the Wind". This is an acapella track, but the lyricism inspires you to imagine an instrumental along with the vocals. This is incredibly interesting to me because I can only imagine how the imagined instrumental sounds to each individual. Although my opinion hasn't changed too much, I will be bumping up the rating by a couple partial points now that I have a couple new favorites.

Revised Rating: 7/10

Tracks I liked: (+.9)
Underwater
It's Not Even Pennsylvania
Good Stands on Its Own
There's a Fine Line
Energy Moves
Making Tea
The Folk Singer Told Us
Shake My Head Like a Rattle
You Can't See the Wind

Tracks I disliked: (-.1)
Hit Pause