Backesto Park, a new electro-post rock record from San Jose California artist, Williamson, is the ultimate record to put on as the workday ends and Friday melts into the weekend. Williamson has had his work featured in films like Cameron Crowe’s Aloha and in Joss Whedon’s TV series, Dollhouse, and now it can be the soundtrack for your unwinding. Named after his neighborhood, the 14-track record Backesto Park is an epic undertaking. Without discounting the value of individual songs, to this listener, it works best as a cohesive listening experience. There are times when you want words to sing all the things you feel but haven’t found the language or courage to utter, and there are times when you want the beauty of music without words to just let you be. I like to think of it as an enhancement, as music is a drug, is it not? It can evoke aggression, or calm you down faster than a benzodiazepines. In my experience of listening to Backesto Park it acted as a beautiful enhancement, in line with the caramel that may also contain THC and CBD – to mellow out the experience of getting home at 5PM, with nothing to do but relax.
The album invokes electronic more in the realm of psych such as the sounds created by the electronic collective Soundtribe Sector 9, yet is delightfully mellow, like the natural hallucination that comes with the sounds of an electronic jam band such as Lotus. It took me back to the time right after I graduated college, before moving to New York City, somehow in the woods of Vermont at a music festival whose name I could not tell you, collecting sunflowers and basking in the freedom of an unknown life ahead of you – with the naivity being 22-years-old requires.
Samples of word appear on some tracks, such as “You Don’t Understand,” coming in like radio static as you change the channel back to your favorite song. “You Don’t Understand” seamlessly melts into the terrifically-named “Jellyfish Hustle.” Indeed, like a magical creature (I know jellyfish exist, but in that awesome way that I don’t understand) the song inhales and exhales with the fluidity of water. Taking a moment to chill on the discussion of the music itself, each song title will make you smile, and look forward to learning the answer to: “What does ‘Aspiring Mooncropper Seeks Work'” sound like?” It sounds awesome.
If you don’t have any weekend plans yet, it’s okay. Simply put this record on and sit for a moment to breathe it all in, and know that things are just as they should be.
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