Not many musical acts can say they have created a world completely of their own; this is meant in the most literal sense imaginable. It is truly difficult to craft elements upon elements over time that all equate to a musical setting that would never be mistaken for anyone else’s, and only applied to that sole individual as they are.
But perhaps it is easy to see why someone like Vision4k can lay claim to such an accomplishment. It is truly because the world that has been conveyed time and time again through their music is one born completely out of their own mind. Their artistry on the outset may stem from their lush instrumentation and soothing vocals that embody what can only be described as their fittingly niche place in alternative music, but what lifts an act like this from “talented” to “exceptional” is through how these sonic aspects clash so effectively through the art of imaginative storytelling.
It is a type of musical narrative that had yet to see its fullest potential come to light up till recently. But therein lies exactly where these speculations were put at rest. For Vision4k’s full potential in this manner to truly “come to light,” it had to meet the darkest depths imaginable. And thus, a dark and brooding masterpiece was created to meet that aforementioned potential in the form of the long, long-awaited R.
Just as the leading single from this album “Honey & Pills” promised at its release some months ago, Vision does indeed take us to “their own underworld” throughout each and every moment of this experience. R is a trip to the once-unfounded depths of this incredibly ominous, yet creatively bursting mind of a creator who has never exemplified anything less than the sort. But again, that promise of a full-length offering that would stand atop their critically-adored Recluse from 2019 gave hope that even an act as outstanding as this would top themself in the process.
That is exactly what R does based on its worldbuilding alone. Each track here is a dark step into a new sector of Vision’s mind and corresponding experiences, with every aspect of the album’s makeup working to contribute to that fact in full. The opening “Holy Matrimony” is an ideally suspenseful entrance into this world as a whole, with the pounding low-end and percussion building to a climax that dies down gradually as the solemn suspense returns. The lyrics here are worth highlighting due to how foreboding they are — doing just enough to cue the listener in on what thrill-ride awaits them.
“Sweet Revenge” is easily this album’s first arc kicking off in an all-too-swift fashion. The song is just as impressive from a vocal standpoint – what with its gripping hook and soothing leads – as it is from an instrumental one given its simple, yet equally-gripping riffs. The lyrics here are again vague in the best manners possible, as they paint a scene of an unfounded revenge being taken up at all costs for what can only be assumed as a devious act.
This track is about as direct as the album tends to get, with other tracks leaning more towards the atmospheric side of Vision’s remarkable instrumentation. Tracks like “Oxblood” and “Wallow, The Wisp” both accomplish similar sentiments instrumentally, though they occur at two different points within the album’s narrative. The former track comes at a far more connective point, while the latter is one that saturates itself with feelings of loneliness and dejection as it appears later on in the tracklisting.
Some tracks have a combination of involved and atmospheric instrumental styles as well, with the track “Skeletons” being arguably the most vivid example among them. This slowly evolving track from solemn to heavy is assisted by an accompanying Demxntia who goes hand-in-hand with Vision here as far as their respective performances are concerned. The following “Grotesque” takes after the same approach as its predecessor, albeit with much more lyrically dispirited and morose tones attached to it.
Another impressive feature on the album is Leon English’s contribution on “My Dearest,” ideally matching the desperate tones presented by Vision themself throughout its runtime. This track is especially captivating given how much Vision sells their feelings of dark desperation in both a vocal and lyrical sense alike.
“Skin” is another track that contributes ever-so-artfully to this album’s wholescale narrative in an incredible manner. It repeats a motif heard previously within the album as its main riff, with Vision’s confident yet obviously affected mindstate providing some of the most infectious and biting lyrics that the album has in full. This track could be seen as the album’s most appealing moment from a typical listener’s point of view, but that makes it all the more effective given how deep into the experience it sits.
Where this album shines brightest however – or, darkest, in this case – would be in its closing moments. Both “Heart of Wax” and “R is for Farewell” are some of the most beautifully impactful tracks heard in alternative music in quite some time — the former track especially being as such due to its heart-wrenching lyrics and its downing acoustic elements as a whole. But the album’s farewell is not far behind as far as impact is concerned, given how well it closes the final page off of what can only be described as a remarkable musical journey in its entirety. Even as Vision sings away this story with a returning acoustic passage at the end of this track, the listener is absolutely belted with some of the most powerful emotions they could ever feel from an album in this genre.
Fans of Vision’s music pondered for quite some time as to what would come about after the masterwork that was Recluse. These answers were not just given with R, they were essentially re-written. This is an unforgettable experience that sees such an incredibly gifted performer at their absolute best, creating stories and settings alike that could be done by no other. It is far beyond just an exceptional piece of modern alternative music; it is a piece of art that could very well leave any listener in a prolonged state of pure and utter awe. But again, something like this could only come from someone like Vision, so it makes sense that all the anticipation finally paid off as it did.