Larando Suave, an artist and producer from Dallas, Texas, is known for his genre-blending approach, infusing elements from hip-hop, alternative R&B, and rock. On his previous projects, he explores varied textures and versatile collaborations — and that continues in his present and latest sound, “agriculture” — keep reading for my thoughts!
The 16-track magnum opus opens with the track, “Lil Something For My Whodis” — a chill, lo-fi hip-hop track that calms the listener with its vast atmosphere and its chill, laid-back beats, while Suave catchy lyrics to the fore, making liberal use of autotune and sung flows, setting the stage for the rest of the album. There’s much that this track lays down as a foundation to “agriculture” — and segueing into the second track, “Wi-Fi OG”, the use of textured synths at the low-end complements the rest of the beat quite well. Suave also brings in tasteful use of vocal layering, playing around with vocal chops, pitch bending, and the beat keeps pace with smart use of layering that pops in at just the right times.
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“Yellow Phantom” introduces a delicious electric guitar that keeps the atmosphere in the background full and velvety, while the swathes of reverb on the vocals create a dreamy, ethereal feel. The guitar tone is warm and spicy, while the trap production on the beat lends itself to a more modern sound, a bit of a departure from the lo-fi hip-hop sound that we’ve come to see from the previous tracks.
As we continue with the album with tracks like “High Strangeness” and “Blue Briefcase”, we reach the halfway point with “Black SS El Camino” — making use of minimalistic instrumentation and direct vocal delivery, the limelight is all on the vocals here, while the brass stabs in the background constitute some smart sampling work that yields this track a zest of energy. The title track, “agriculture”, is a return to the signature sound of Suave, with wide, atmospheric elements paired with catchy synths, Vox-box/vocoder use, and a laid-back, chill sound, paired with liberal use of vocal processing, making for a rather catchy listen.
The sophomore part of the album is dotted with more winners like “86 Green Bronco”, that opens with a beautiful sitar part, that’s been sampled to be part of the mix — and the overall execution is polished, laying down a great rhythmic and melodic foundation to the track, lending itself to the serene, warm sound of this track — while unconventional in its approach, this track pulls off a coherent, interesting sound that’s impressive to the listener overall.
As we bring “agriculture” to a close with “Loop 2”, I’m left thinking of the polish that every track on this album exudes, and Suave is an artist to look forward to more, indeed! Check out the album here:
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