MAHAL: ALBUM REVIEW
Taking the last three years to rest and hone in on personal professional pursuits, Chaz Bear a.k.a Chaz Bundick a.k.a. Les Sins a.k.a Toro y Moi returns with a new full-length project featuring a new restored sound and a new label, resonating with his cultural upbringings and present state of mind.
For over a decade, Toro y Moi has managed to remain a household name solidified in the hearts and ears of underground music fans, with his music dancing across the genres of trip-hop, house, psych-rock, and jazz. A name further popularized by collaborations with Tyler The Creator, Blood Orange, and The Avalanches. As his music evolved, Toro evolved as a person, from consistently creating different monikers to experiment with new sounds, to legally changing his name to Chaz Bear and creating his art studio space, Company.
Mahal is Bear's most diverse and experimental album to date, incorporating 70s psychedelic rock with jazz compositions. A departure from 2019’s Outer Peace, an album heavily inspired by house and electronica, Mahal takes on a more psych-rock approach with jazz influences peppered throughout — a musical field Bear is no stranger to. Songs such as “Jbs” and “drip bounce 7_24_18” are already timeless examples of his folk-inspired singing prowess.
Mahal manages to say a lot in very few words, creating viscerally euphoric images in my mind and energy rattling in my bones in his highest moments. Even the lowest points of the project manage to stay in the back of my head and make me come back for more. “Deja Vu” sounds sonically similar to psych records that dominated California boom boxes in the 70’s, taking me to Dolores Park upon my first listen. “Goes By Fast” paints a mental image dripping in tie-dye colors, fading in swirls as the saxophone echoes.
__________________________
Visually, there’s a lot of love for Bear’s past and his present. A love for the Bay Area and his Filipino upbringing with nods to both proudly displayed in the videos leading up to the project, as well as the cover. The album name, Mahal, is a Tagalog phrase for “my precious,” more specifically for “my love.” Even the car featured on the album cover and “Postman” video, the jeepney, is a fun nod to his heritage. The jeepney, a smaller public popular means of transportation in the Philippines, is a demonstration of culture and art and plays a significant role in establishing the concept for the album.
Mahal half operates as half a conceptual album, formatting songs as if they are playing and switching between stations on a jeepney. The album intro “The Medium” starts the jeepney and turns the radio on, giving way to an experience that feels like riding through the city and the impact that comes from it.
This concept gives an interesting approach to songs, some containing wonky, eccentric radio scratches before playing and others utilizing the radio-changing concept to bleed and transition into one another. My favorite example of this is “The Loop” transitioning into “Last Year.”
_________________________
That being said, some songs suffer from these transitions, disrupting any flow of groove and rhythm. The biggest perpetrator of this rough transition is between “Mississippi” and “Clarity.” These two are certainly not bad songs in their own right, but side by side are clunky and feel loose against an otherwise established concept.
“Foreplay” showcases a central weakness of the album, the issue being a lot of loose concepts with the potential to be made into something wonderful, but failing to come to fruition. It sounds like a mix of different demos that blend into each other where none of them are bad on their own, but they leave me wishing that each part got its own dedicated slot on the project.
This little three-song section brings up my main issue with the project. It doesn’t really have a clear end. There’s a strong concept established through the transitions with little sections dedicated to creating the image of riding this jeepney and there being little hiccups, but it doesn’t feel like it goes anywhere only to have the closer just finish with little to no build-up nor resolution. The radio concept that was clearly established in the beginning and reinforced throughout the album doesn’t have a strong closure and leaves me wanting just a little bit more.
_________________________
Mahal sounds like riding around in a jeepney, switching between stations as your loved ones jam out and take you out for a ride through the city, taking everything in and being present in the moment. Though not much is said through words, it is clearly expressed in the chords that transport you to a very intimate, personal experience.
Chaz Bear has been in this industry for over a decade now with an arsenal of albums ranging from ambient noise to house mixed electronica, including a number of different monikers that expand his range as an artist. This album is a compilation of songs that capture his current emotional state and the state of his personal world. The poetic phonics of his words over guitar progressions ripped straight from records from his grandad’s basement capture his perspective in a culture he is constantly growing with.
This album is nothing special, and I mean that in the most positive way. Mahal is present as it is grounded, soundtracking Bears' life in the Bay Area and living life after accomplishing your childhood dreams and aspirations. It is a testament to living life as it is and growing up, best played on the drive to any beach on the golden coast with your loved ones close by.