Jacob Didas
Lucid
(self-released)

Out of the sunshine of Honolulu, Hawaii comes Jacob Didas’ Lucid. “Drumroll” opens with an acoustic guitar, but soon features noisy, gated synth and drum sounds under a rap that drills down into a bubbling, nearly-atonal concoction. I love such drive and desperation from the outset of a record! The sweet synth strings of “Manic” follows, which roll right into synth strikes and a stuttering beat, again with a desperate rap over the top. According to his bio, Didas worked as a psychiatric nurse, was in the army, and has faced some challenges that certainly inform that desperate struggle you hear as much in this lyrics as you do in his synth lines. “Flight,” with its bleating synth backing, sees Didas question more of the world around him than his own demons. Even though the keys here sound pretty amateurish and we don’t get much more than only them as the music on this track, this might be one of the more commercial tunes here. Stealing from a famous classical piece, we get a sweet, quick piano/synth strings moment on “Aisle (Interlude)” before we are hit with the wailing, heavy snap of “Octane,” featuring Didas’ best keyboard playing (he really wails on this one) and the softer, last tune “Vision.” Didas actually sings here against only a backbeat at times, contrasting against the organ sounds and the blisteringly fast rap. On Lucid Jacob Didas hits us over the head with some very serious statements rapped over stark instrumentals; good stuff indeed.

You can listen to the album here.