Album Review: Rising Tide's "Pixel Prison" sets us on a journey to unify
Photo courtesy of Old Growth Records.
Bopping around the chilly winter streets with Rising Tide’s new album, “Pixel Prison”, is warming my ears and putting a spring in my step.
Accompanied by clean, fresh beats, I make my way through my cobblestoned town with a groove on.
The cool air matching the cool rhythms rumbling out of my headphones.
The album itself is a trippy reggae-dub, soul-jazz fusion, best listened to in order, one song after the other like the days of old. It’s available on vinyl, which feels like the truest way to listen to this album, a good LP to add to any collection.
“Pixel Prison” takes you down a rhythmic path of societal mindfulness highlighting the issues we face as a people in modern times.
Along the trip we are joined by a wealth of kind companions, such as Mike Love, Kim Pommel, Reggie Padilla and of course the mythical Clinton Fearon who welcomes us to the Pixel Prison experience, encouraging to “free your mind and you will have a good good time”.
Rising Tide conveys a message in every tune, on this voyage a melodic lesson is imparted on the listener. It’s a thoughtful album, the lyrics intend to make an impact; “Pixel Prison” stays true to the edicts of reggae music as a genre and aims to encourage the overstanding of the people.
With particular focus on the tracks, “Together”, “The Race” and “Mr. President”, I found myself nodding along, not only to the beats but to what was being sung. The message of unity, love, justice and determination for action so better times can develop.
The beats that accompany the thoughtful lyrics are intuitive and complement the overall feel of the album.
I notice a real Fat Freddy’s Drop vibe from Rising Tide, but don’t get it twisted, they definitely have their own individual sound that is diverse, refreshing and engaging.
“I thought leaders were supposed to unify”, is a lyric that stands out for me, it echoes through my mind especially in these times of disparity, as I slowly make my way back home on this frosty night.
By Luka H.
