Entry 296 - Avatar: The Last Airbender - Lofi Vol 1: Air

 

Lofi hip hop and me have a strained relationship. When it's done well its a truly amazing genre that can move me emotionally. Those moments are rare though and so much of the genre is the same that it's hard to find something that stands out. Fortunately this Avatar lofi remix album is one of those moments.

While the music to Avatar The Last Airbender was not something I would seek to listen to outside the show, the remix done for this lofi album is something that I've had spinning on and off for a few days now. It combines a few things that I enjoy quite a bit: repeating themes, far eastern instrumentation, and dynamic songs.

Many of the songs on the Air compilation contain similar melodies, this ties the album together in an intimate fashion. The songs have a sense of belonging to one another. Quite a few of the songs also blend together from one track to the next, this adds to the sense that this is an album as a whole rather than just a collection of individual songs.

I'm a huge sucker for eastern instrumentation. Chinese violin, Japanese guitar, really anything that has that special quality that can only be found in far eastern stringed instruments. They are all here and they are used in tasteful ways to not only play the main melodies but also add to the entirety of the song. Not only does this deepen my enjoyment and engagement of the music, it makes each of the songs it's own within the context of the album.

I'm quite pleased with this album, and I'm glad I was able to pick it up. It's a lathe and overall the volume on the disc is quite low to what you would expect from a record, but ultimately that does not affect my enjoyment of the album.

While I am not usually a fan of lofi, I am happy to call this an exception to that generality.