Quái Vật: NAVY's Newest Dreamy Indie Album
The Ho Chi Minh City Originals event continues to be a goldmine of extremely talented local and foreign artists. That's how I discovered NAVY, the artist behind the newly released album: Quái Vật, a pixie, dreamy sounding indie album that's equal parts ear candy and easy listening.
I loved writing this review because I was so blown away by the work of this young Vietnamese artist. Please do yourself a favor and listen below. I've not seen her live yet, but I will be keeping an eye on Noise Saigon to see when she performs around town for sure.
Why You Should Listen
Young artists tend to favor raw energy, with 6-tracked guitars and a healthy dose of crash-beating - we've all been 16 after all - that's why the restraint shown in this album by NAVY demonstrates a deep understanding of what makes a good song.
The songs across this album are very neatly arranged, with just the right amount of instruments to make NAVY's Vietnamese and occasional English lines shine. Her English is great, with some genuinely spicy but honest lyrics that had me blushing a little. Reverb and modulation drenched guitars and keyboards are her weapon of choice, and she uses them with precision and intention. The drums are sharp, with a high-compression sound and very little reverb, which makes them punchy but super pleasant, really selling that indie sound.
The Standout Tracks (Essential Listening)
- Vội (Track 8) - This is possibly my favorite track in the album. It has a killer chord progression, and I love that video-game-like keyboard sound (think 8-bit/chiptune lead), especially in the solo. It represents in my very humble opinion the mood of the whole album the best. Plus that outro piano... Give it a listen.
- Quái Vật (Track 9, and the album title track) - Much of what I've described in this review is the beautiful soundscapes NAVY takes you through, but the final, and album title track is surprisingly bare, in the best of ways. The lonely acoustic guitar is haunting, and dare I say it, reminds me of some of my favorite country songs. It single-handedly makes me wish I understood Vietnamese!
- Một vòng Hồ Tây (Track 7) - Prior to being in Vietnam, I lived in Portugal for five years, one of the Bossa Nova capitals of the world, it's not originally from there, but the Brazilian influence there is strong, with hundreds of artists playing it. This song blends that rhythmic style with the aforementioned indie sound so well that I wonder if it's a new style altogether. It literally is the best of both worlds.
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