Why the Wild Things Are
If you’ve followed our site over the last two-ish years – or, for that matter, any Boston-based music publication – you’ll already be familiar with Cliff Notez. Most likely, you heard about him through his music, since his soulful, thematic, and lyric-driven tunes have gained the most steam. On top of that, you may have heard about some of his other artistic endeavours, like his short film Vitiligo or the fact that he’s now a professor at Emerson College. He’s also a former writer for Allston Pudding, so obviously he’s a very cool person, and we are in no way biased here.
The point is, whenever you met him, stumbled upon his art, etc., you’ve probably left that interaction excited for his next big project… whatever and whenever that may be. Well, the good news is that Cliff’s sophomore album – the follow-up to 2017’s When the Sidewalk Ends – is slated for a release on 9/13 to coincide with a release show at Oberon in Harvard Square that same day. Continuing the motif of tweaking the names of beloved children’s books, this new effort is titled Why the Wild Things Are.
So that’s the good news, but you wanna know the better news? You can listen to Why the Wild Things Are TWO days early. Scroll down and smash that play button!
While this is his sophomore effort, Cliff doesn’t know what “slump” means as he boldly moves forward with his sound. What made Sidewalk such a compelling listen start-to-finish was its dense, complicated, and dedicated focus on musicality, and the structure and flow on a song-to-song level. Cliff’s not out to make a collection of pop singles; he’s demonstrated that he cares deeply about crafting a cohesive body of work. That trend continues with Wild Things.
Cliff’s M.O. isn’t just to boost his own profile as an artist. Part of why he founded HipStory a few years ago was to create a collaborative and supportive environment for fellow artists and creators. As such, both of his albums are packed with guest verses, collaborators, and different voices weaving in and out of the sonic tapestries. The features list for this album is essentially a who’s-who of the current hip-hop/R&B scene in Boston: Forté, Haasan Barclay, Latrell James, STL GLD, just to name a few.
Since Sidewalk recently turned two years old this summer, Cliff and the live band he plays with have had ample time to hone in on the live performances of those tracks. Moving forward, it will be interesting to see how the group weaves in and adapts to these new songs, as well as the energy they will inspire in an audience. For all the brilliance of Sidewalk, it’s remained a contemplative, emotional piece; for Wild Things, Cliff set out to make something a little more outwardly focused. You get the sense from some of the uptempo drum breaks on this new album that those will prove irresistible to dancing feet at future shows. Lead single “Happy” is a shining example of this. While we’ve already talked about this track at length when we premiered it a few weeks back, it’s an absolute adventure of a dance track, climaxing in an exhilarating house-inspired finale.
This effort to produce something happier must be exhausting, especially when considering how difficult the past few years have been for Cliff. Despite his burgeoning success and increased profile, winning a Boston Music Award for Best New Artist, opening for Win Butler of Arcade Fire in New Orleans, and more highlights, those are the ups. In that same time frame, Cliff has lost multiple people close to him, including his brother. To bear all that hardship then turn around and have the audacity to work for something beyond takes something special, a unique kind of energy.
“Intro to Fright Night” kicked off When the Sidewalk Ends, and that song directly paralleled the haunting score work Cliff and collaborator Hamstank did for Cliff’s short film Vitiligo. In contrast, our intro to the world of Why the Wild Things Are comes in the form of the breezy “Voodoo.” The track’s opening line – “Can I get worker’s compensation / if I know my job had drove me crazy” – kicks off a song full of yearning for success weighed down by the need for patience, dedication, and a little magic. In the interim between albums, Cliff left a job to focus more directly on creating art. That pursuit and the persistence of dreamers to achieve a singular vision might prove to be the prevailing theme on Wild Things. Cliff makes it clear he’s the shaper of his own success and destiny, reminding that he’s “never been the one to follow nobody” on “MASSochists” and continuously through “Rebel.”
One of the most enticing aspects of this album is shifts within individual songs. Different drum beats weave in and out, with different rhythms explored. The production is meticulously detailed, but the performance is loose, which gives each transition an organic quality, almost like Cliff has delivered a prog-rap album. It’s a cool summer evening of a release, full with plenty of moments of deep, reflective groove, like the airy sax solo on “Venus Incarnate.” With so many curveballs and changeups, there’s enough to make your ears perk up , but also plenty for you to get lost in. Besides “Happy,” it’s difficult to pick and choose a handful of standout tracks, because the power of the piece is so entrenched in its flow. Of course, there’s still plenty to love about the free-flowing poetry of “Black Incredible” and the addictively catchy closer “Get Free II.”
Listen to Why the Wild Things Are below, and get your tickets to the show at Oberon on Friday 9/13.