[Review] Song About Nothing by DJ Shabach “Creatively speaking the music is quite unusual”
The premise for this song is quite appealing, there are undoubtedly a vast number of songs that appear to be about nothing in particular, but they rarely declare that to be true themselves. The honesty of this is commendable, there’s no falseness or pretense, you’re given the truth from the offset, before you even press play in fact. On the contrary though, the second and third verse do touch on a certain sense of storytelling that has a particular direction – perhaps relationship related. But, without that, there’s not as much to connect with, from an audience’s perspective, and the lyrics do consistently touch on the idea of doing nothing, hanging out, enjoying life, not worrying about anything in particular.
Creatively speaking the music is quite unusual, the beat has a classic or even retro hip-hop ambiance to it, and yet many of the sounds and samples scattered elsewhere are the sort you’re more likely to find in vintage gaming or some other retro medium for entertainment. Then there’s the hook, the basic essence of the song repeated, the two contrasting voices during the intro laying out the sentiment for all to witness. The verses, however, come through as incredibly smooth and rhythmic; the rap vocal has a mellow and enjoyable flow, and there’s a great tone to the voice that makes it very easy to listen to.
As free from direction as the concept and the lyrics are, the sound of the artist’s leading voice is likely to draw in those who seek out new wordsmiths or creators of mellow hip-hop, so it’s a clever move in terms of reaching out to connect with new listeners. The production has been well crafted to allow the vocal to really work well.
By Rebecca Cullen
Rebecca is a Musician and writer from Manchester, UK, with an MA in Song Writing
