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ALBUM REVIEW: NIGHTS OF RIZAL - SUMMER/SALT


“Summer Salt” is an album released by Manila-based pop electronic producer and singer-songwriter Migi De Belen or better known as Nights of Rizal. The sole electronic producer is no stranger to the music scene. For over a decade, Nights of Rizal has done various styles of electronic music from UK bass, chiptune, and remixes. It amazes me to see a producer still making music in this day and age where everyone on the internet can do anything in just one tap. Nights of Rizal for me doesn’t go out of style as a electronic producer. Today, he just released a full length album and those elements tha he has honed for so many years are (at least sounds to me as) tropical synths, UK garage percussion, and the compelling vocal performances that Nights of Rizal is known for.

Summer Salt starts off with the first track titled “Keep The Fire Burning”. The track was enjoyable and it starts the album right. It wasn’t too mellow for an introduction nor it was too grand. The second track “Little Ocean”, one of the lead singles in the project, was also one of the bouncier tracks here in the album. The third track “Night Swim” featuring Clarence Garcia of math rock band tide/edit. This track right here didn’t really hit me hard as much as the first two tracks because I felt like the guitar licks here aren’t really engaging to hear nor it didn’t really showed the guitar was an important role in the track. The guitar also sounded too low in the mix that it actually sounded almost absent in the track. I guess there was so much going on in the track, i probably barely noticed the guitar in the background.

The fourth track “Penelope (Made Up)” has this spacious production and it builds up to this disco breakdown. The song structure felt similar to the previous track Little Ocean, it just sounded a bit different but sure as hell the chorus here is catchy as hell. The fifth track “Siren” ft. Aina, was another big splash of electronica but I was glad this didn’t disappoint. The sixth track “Change, Erase”, in here the hi-hats complement the wonky bass plus the vocal performance of Nights of Rizal was top notch. I never seen an electronic producer in recent memory to ever hit that note. Making this track my favorite for the entire album. The seventh track and the eighth track, “Words” and “The Waves” respectively, are some lackluster cuts in the album. It didn’t really pack a punch except for some hooks here and there. The production and lyrics behind those two tracks just didn’t feel progressive nor it sounded like it succeeded something in this album. I guess the dance-y element in the album just kind of worn off there already.

The ninth track “One More Day” ft. Ean Aguila, was one of the more honest tracks here. This shows a more humanized description of the person singing in this track. Both production and lyrics had that push I was looking for. The last track “Keep Moving” was an appropriate closer of the album. It showed some technical side in the production, the type of Nights of Rizal I would always love to see. The layered synths and chiptune elements are impressive to hear.

photo grabbed from A Dela Rosa

Overall, “Summer Salt” was a decent well-balanced album that has produced master songwriting that talk about moving on right after overcoming a challenge in life and Migi’s heart-piercing vocals that give incredible strength of character throughout this project. My only suggestion for this album is that I wish some tracks should add up more depth in the mix. I really do appreciate some tropical house elements here and there. What it does is it removes all of the abstract background and creates this safe and warm environment in electronic music. But what electronic music, for me at least, is that sudden urge of excitement and unpredictability no matter how abstract music can be.

Now, I know this isn’t Autechre or Boards of Canada or even LCD Soundsystem, but this is a Nights of Rizal project, and Nights of Rizal completely knocked it out of the ballpark by bringing in a solid piece of electronica in both technical and emotional standards. “Somer Sault” wasn’t my type of electronic music but it is a project worth sharing if anyone here loves the catchy and easygoing electronic music.

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