The Daily Spin, June 13
Zach Callison | A Picture Perfect Hollywood Heartbreak
Welcome back to the Daily Spin, the series in which I review 365 albums during 2023.
Each album will be given a rating on a scale from 0 to 10. You can look at the entire set here. Additionally, you can check out a list of my favorite song from each album right here.
If you want to suggest an album, good news! You can do so right here!
Album: A Picture Perfect Hollywood Heartbreak (2018)
Artist: Zach Callison
Link:
Upon reflection, it’s not surprising that the guy who voiced the titular character in Steven Universe would make an album of his own music, given that show’s preference for song throughout.
I just wish I liked it more.
It all feels a little theater-kid-like, and while small doses of that can do a lot of good, I think here’s an example of a case where it gets too be too much. ‘Nightmare’ starts decent strong with the piano line, but winds up Icarusing itself, flying too close to a very Macklemore sun. Wordplay is enjoyable - I’ve highlighted it a few times throughout this series, but this album feels a lot like a kid auditioning for a play and music happening to be laid over it in post.
This is Hoodie Allen without the zippy beats that made some of his cornier couplets more palatable, feeling a lot like Chance The Rapper in his “oOooOooOo I love my wife” era, Gambino without the snappy wit. Half of what makes cheesy lyrics sustainable is being able to counter them in the moment, and instead this album seems to push to make them an ever larger part of the music.
The music itself is fine, but nothing better, and actively creeps back into the shadows to buoy vocals that had me wincing more often than nodding my head along. There’s drama, but it feels like a poker hand overplayed, a bluff carried until suddenly you’re staring down a royal flush with naught but a high card to your name.
Rating: 4.8/10
Best Tracks: Phantom Love
Worst Tracks: Nightmare; Curtain Call; War!