In the year since his last project, Juwan Elcock, the genius behind BLK ODYSSY, has a lot on his mind. The Austin-based R&B singer manages to leave it all in the studio with his fourth album, MOOD CONTROL, out via Earthchild/EMPIRE. Much like the title suggests, BLK ODYSSY shifts through a gallery of sounds from soul, funk, hip hop, and psych rock. As the artist takes listeners through the project, themes of healing, tarmua bonding, and rhythmic pacing are explored.
MOOD CONTROL opens up the album with the intro, "NATIVITY OF CHAOS." A vintage radio plays an advertisement questioning the listeners' state of mind. The theme continues throughout the album as the voice offers guidance, percolating throughout. The gateway transformative sound of "NATIVITY OF CHAOS" doesn't last long before diving into the dark, electric, trap track, "RICKY." The track grips in a way that's haunting and infectious in its replay value.
By the second song, listeners can feel the dark pull of MOOD CONTROL influence. The one-two love punch of tracks "APOLOGIZE" and "WAVES" makes for the emotional aspect of the project. The love struggle unfolding in "APOLOGIZE" comes to a head in "WAVES." It's here where BLK ODYSSY finds himself at the mercy of the emotional sound.
For "HEARTBREAK," BLK ODYSSY teams up with Mikky Ekko and Zac Farro (Paramore), capturing the very essence of BLK ODYSSY's demmial. Following the themes of the previous songs, "HEARTBREAK" differs just a little in keeping the Austin-based singer in a state of shock.
BLK ODYSSY spent the care and time into perfecting this project. Every note is carefully placed, and every lyric mentioned harbors a deeper meaning. For BLK ODYSSY, MOOD CONTROL's purpose is attached to his own mental well-being.
"This record is called Mood Control. I made it to remind people that sound can change how we feel, how we think, and how we move. Every song carries an emotion, a frequency tied to that emotion. The world’s been stuck in noise and static, the media’s got us numb to truth and desensitized to what’s real. So we made a record that plays like a radio station, one that unconsciously rewires that in the minds of its listeners. It’s a broadcast no one was ever supposed to hear."
One of the standouts on the project comes with the title track, sampling the iconic Black Sabbath's "Iron Man." "MOOD CONTROL" blends vintage rock with modern soul. The result is a perfect track that ends with another radio warning.
"POSSESSED," "SEDATED," and "THE EXDOUS OF CHAOS" finish out MOOD CONTROL. While "POSSESSED" tells a warning of succumbing to the void, "SEDATED" fills out the aftermath of this otherworldly, strange broadcast. Harboring its own mind, there's nothing left to do but for BLK ODYSSY to fade into oblivion.
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Photo Credit: Tyler Borchardt
