In a broad sense, psychedelic music is an auditory challenge to our sense of reality. It can evoke wonder or flood the soundscape with such a sonic barrage that you don’t know which way is up. But, sometimes, a little can go a long way. Enter “Better By Design” by A Beech Landing: a modern psychedelic sojourn. All told, this track is not a trip, it’s a journey.
Altogether, there are two distinct melodic sides of “Better By Design.” There’s the moderately psych-ish side with its kaleidoscopic, rubber-banding far-outness. But, there’s also the gritty reverb territory that it wanders through. As opposed to being completely outlandish in scope, “Better By Design” is contained within a progressive soundscape that knows that there are limits. However, it doesn’t mean it can’t warp the fringes when it wants to.
In its early form, psychedelic music is an escapist cavalcade of discordant sonics that are all mashed together. However, “Better By Design” is a modern psychedelic creation focused on establishing a more grounded baseline to follow. There’s a distinct melodic heaviness that this track often abides by that keeps the mood more down to Earth. Altogether, “Better By Design” is 21st century psychedelic, leaving the door open for optimism, but starkly realistic all the same.
All in all, “Better By Design” isn’t about throwing every sonic inclination at the wall to see what sticks. Sometimes, sparing the kitchen sink from being spent in your melodic arsenal is a winning strategy. On this track, A Beech Landing opt for a discerning approach over radical whims.
Written by Travis Boyer
FOLLOW A BEECH LANDING:
