Dirty Loops 'Beagle' EP Review
Dirty Loops is not your everyday band you will hear on the radio nor on a TV channel with popular hits. Since the early 2010's they produced many ear-catching songs and covers and they are bending genres with original compositions that fall into the 'jazz fusion' category to this day. The Swedish trio has just released their brand-new Extended Play that was peculiarly named 'Beagle' and with such an interesting album title I was deeply intrigued about what they will have in store this time.
The five-song record starts calm with bass solo-filled opening song 'Runaway' that also was selected as the first promotional single for 'Beagle'. While we could debate whether so many solos make sense and do people, who don't normally listen to extremely technical genres like jazz fusion, like 'flashy' and complicated sounds. we do get a nice, smooth track that eventually prepares us to have fun moving forward. It is definitely a pleasant opener tune, that opens up an appetite for more.
'When The Time Is Right' opens pretty dramatically with a massive orchestral intro and calms down again with some soft keyboard samples as well as Jonah's signature chest and head register vocals. This song was also a promotional single for this Extended Play which I find fascinating. The song has a very similar structure to the aforementioned 'Runaway' but features more instrumental orchestral arrangements. Jonah’s vocals have a more theatrical approach to them too. It is certainly not a typical, popular music composition as it puts more emphasis on unique instrumental pieces rather than a verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus structure.
Nice, refreshing and bright sounds hit when I get to 'Final Touch'. The song starts with amazing, gospel-inspired choir sounds and quirky bass lines from the band’s bassist, Henrik Linder. The longest song on 'Beagle' puts an instant smile on my face when I hear a choir accompaniment to Nilsson’s sound in the chorus. It's a great combination that instantly sells that song to me. It reminds me of the golden Michael Jackson era in its best form. Whoever came up with the idea of having the choir in this song – chapeau bas! It stands out with Jonah’s phenomenal voice and makes me want to listen to it more.
If you felt like the previous 3 songs were too calm for you, 'Going On A Date' comes in with a bang, which in my opinion is the strongest song off 'Beagle'. Energetic clapping and incredibly groovy drums from Aron Mellegård to slaying keyboard sounds in the chorus just leave me asking for more. Personally, I feel this song should have been the main single for 'Beagle' - the energy and complexity of this song shines through. I sense a large progressive metal and rock influence from it since the band was featured on multiple live music festivals from this genre. I only wish that song was slightly longer than three minutes and thirty seconds, solely because it grooves so hard.
As the final piece of the puzzle serves 'Living For The City' which is Stevie Wonder’s cover. The arrangement has very strong jazz and groove vibes to it. This is the kind of song I envision being played live in a cozy jazz club like Blue Note in New York or a chill dance party. I also get a pleasant inspiration from Michael Jackson's music once more. I may or may not have swung my hips a little bit while listening to the final part of the song and absolutely adored it.
'Beagle' is a solid piece of music. It is not like previous records that Dirty Loops have released before, but I feel like a lot of people would enjoy this EP. While I loved 'Final Touch' and 'Going On A Date' the most, I can see how they could also appeal to people with every one of their singles.
I also want to praise the lyrical part of this album. The band invited Henrik’s longtime collaborator, Icelandic jazz singer, Stina Ágústsdóttir to help co-write. I have a gut-feeling that her contribution has given a nice freshness to Dirty Loops’ final sound.
Generally speaking, I am a fan of 'Beagle' and I will be spinning this album repeatedly to boost a good mood in the future. It’s unconventional, crisp and a phenomenally well-produced and composed piece of music. I look forward to hearing these songs live soon and highly recommend giving it a chance to enjoy as much as I did.
