13189
Some Other Planet, 2021
8/10
The creative outlet for Cristobal Jimenez Van Cauwelaert, as Not A Citizen the multi-instrumentalist and producer put much thought and care into these very diverse tracks that soundtrack his urban life between London and Berlin.
The title track opens the listen with warm beats and a late night feel that moves with a darker quality of instrumental creativity, and “Floating Away” follows with calm rhythm and a slightly ominous backdrop against hypnotic vocals.
Halfway through, the percussively strong “Sin Tus Ojos, Yo No Te Puedo Ver” is quite stylish and mesmerizing in its mysterious nature, while “Andes” glides in a dreamy, soulful haze of bass friendly atmosphere.
Nearing the end, “Empty Streets” benefits from a slower tempo, poetic singing and spirited guitar work, and “The Last Dusk” exits the listen bare, pretty and soaked in an ambient version of fusion that you can’t help but admire.
An extremely difficult listen to categorize, Not A Citizen carries traces from jazz, hip-hop, indie-rock, alt-rock and post-bop, and it makes for a very atypical but enjoyable listen that only gets better with repeated plays.
Travels well with: Gilles Poizat-Champignon Flamme; Submarine FM- Crawl