Buds Vol.1: A Collaboration
With the world closing down all around us, it’s easy to succumb to our bedroom walls and whatever screen that happens to be in front of our faces. Using our brains is tiring, regardless of the world affairs. Being creative is hard, especially when we’re by ourselves. It’s incredibly inspiring to see all of the people who have still been able to create and make. Especially for musicians, since making music is usually such a collective art form with many minds working together. This is seen expertly through the collaborative album, Buds Vol. 1, released through the Chicago label Rosebud Allday.
The studio doors are closed for the time being due to the pandemic, but that didn’t stop co-founder Jayson Rose from digging through already recorded material from the immensely talented group of artists under the label (and friends of the label).
Rosebud Allday started out of Rose’s living room in 2018 and has now grown into a full brick and mortar studio. It exists as a space for artists of all genres and backgrounds to record and make music. The collaborative nature of this album reminds me of the time before quarantine, a time I deeply miss. With 13 musicians, in a time where in-person hanging out is more complicated, there’s something beautiful about hearing a bunch of passionate people work together. And most of the songs have more than one of the 13 artists working on it. Only so much can be done over FaceTime, it will never be quite the same as being able to bounce ideas off of one another in person.
The opening track, “RAINBOW…” features six performers: Danielle Jones, Marcus Reese, Manny 10x, Wyatt Waddell, Mike Galperin, and ‘Kechi. The lyrics talk about a reunion. It’s a heartwarming notion to start such a mixtape because it’s a necessary reminder. They most likely weren’t referencing a global pandemic and instead might have been referring to seeing each other again after a vacation or a shift at work. Nonetheless, it might be awhile, but we can’t forget that someday we will be together again.
“Only Love” by GEM TREE feels like a modern-day Destiny’s Child song. She’s the only vocalist but it still holds that groove and fizziness of those early 2000s jams. If we still had custom songs that played when our friends called our flip phones, this would undoubtedly be mine. It’s perfect R&B pop and GEM TREE’s voice is as smooth as a lullaby.
The following song “If I Don’t Want You” by Wyatt Waddell took me by absolute surprise. I had to double check that this was indeed a new song and not an unearthed tune from one of my dad’s James Brown records. The falsetto, the background vocals, the wood block; it’s simply too much. This song is absolutely perfect to dance around your apartment at 3:15 in the afternoon when you need a little pick-me-up, trust me.
“Aline” by drea the vibe dealer is one of the most unique songs I’ve heard in a long time. Her vocal performance first made me think of the band Chastity Belt, but her’s is much lower and droning. This is also the only song that feels outside of R&B or Hip-Hop, where the rest of the compilation sits, but the song still works. The album was missing a lower tempo, edgier song. This song is a cringe-free emo middle school anthem for twenty-somethings.
“Strange Times (Ft. Sam Veren, Lil Smoke)” by Jsun Rose is the only instrumental song and it’s the perfect soundtrack for a (socially distanced) walk around a park. The saxophones remind me of the sun and perfectly temperate gusts of wind. Let every note soundtrack each stream of light through the trees and every blade of grass that grazes your ankles.
The album closer, “Solstice (ft. Sam Veren)” by Manny 10x makes me miss Chicago house parties in the apartments with the long skinny hallway that always happen to be by the bathroom. They perpetually get clogged with people, one of which undoubtedly looks familiar but not quite sure where from. I wish I was dancing with my friends to music played from a small Bluetooth speaker in a room with a miscellaneous assortment of furniture. It’s a gentle beat that sways your hips without you even being aware of it. I long for the days of commotion and people watching and sometimes needing to yell at your friend right next to you due to the sheer volume of the room.
The whole album is available to stream for free on Soundcloud, and I would highly recommend it (listen: here) Also, make sure to support any individual artists that piques your interest from this line up! There’s something for everyone in this project, and I can’t wait to dive into these artists even more. I’ve been comfortably listening to the same albums over and over again lately, all of which are rooted in the times before making me feel melancholy. But it feels refreshing to hear new, crisp music that is for now. I feel cleansed and excited and hopeful, and I wish it makes you feel the same.