Rando Bando is a weird collection of chill grooves perfectly suited for a late night stroll through an abandon mall.
The beginning opens up sounding a bit spooky, but like Halloween spooky not horror spooky. I was worried, ever so briefly, that this album was going to be just some superficially weird stuff thrown together. This impression was totally off the mark. This album is weird to its core, deeply weird. This is not just an aesthetic but the genuine article. Every track brings a different shade of weird, culminating in a surprisingly dynamic musical arc.
The music itself is mostly sample and loop driven with inspiration from hip hop, late 60s psychedelic rock, punk, and a hint of trap. The tracks frequently feature heavily altered vocal samples from radio and tv. All of this comes together to form a constantly evolving cascade of soft chaos around a persistently musical core. The mix generally feels well balanced.
I imagine a scenario where you might encounter this music. You're at a dive bar just outside peak hours. The bar is moderately crowded and the music blends in just enough that most people aren't thinking about it. Something catches your ear and you stop to listen only to be hit with the absurdity of what's actually playing so you ask the bartender "What the hell is this music?". They respond with a shrug and tell you to ask the owner's nephew (as if you're just supposed to know who that is).
Going in, I was hoping to appreciate it but I wasn't expecting to be personally into it. About halfway through, I found myself reluctantly hitting the wishlist button. I am indeed personally into this.
If you're the owner of a dive bar trying to give the impression that you have a weird nephew, I highly recommend this album.