Noon Pacific // 205 Reviewed

Once a week at roughly 12pm Pacific Standard Time on Monday, a gentleman by the name of Clark Dinnison releases a mixtape of 10 carefully curated songs that are making big waves on his radar. This is Noon Pacific.

Noon Pacific // 205

• “Better Off Lonely” by FROST — Atmospheric synth… hi-hat… bass (could be a drum pad). This song is a little repetitive, but it’s not too repetitive; it’s pretty chill, but it’s not too chill; it’s got energy, but not too much energy. It’s a weird in-between that just sort of fades pleasantly into the background.
• “Get Down” by Hudson Scott — This is a very synthpop tune. It has all the elements: slinky bass, a number of synths (some squelchy, others bouncy), clockwork drums. The curveball here is the vocals — they’re considerably deeper and richer than what you’re more likely to find in the genre (largely dominated by higher, airier vocals). They’re almost Rick Astley-esque.
• “Slice Of Paradise” by Cool Company — Arpeggiating synths lead into a slow funk-soul type number. Smooth vocals largely stay in the lower registers but have surprising range, hitting higher notes without going into a falsetto. A beautifully clear guitar line in the chorus. A great up-and-down bass line that takes us all across the fretboard. A really great song.
• “Belong” by ROOSEVELT — From the keys to the programmed drum accents to the vocals, this tune is straight up ‘80s nostalgia. And yet there’s something here, something I can’t quite put my finger on — the production, a particular note progression, or just an indefinable energy, perhaps — this is distinctly modern.
• “Stayin’ Alive (Bee Gees Cover)” by Say Lou Lou — I like covers to really bring something new to a song. They don’t always. This tune absolutely does. Here, arguably the anthem of the disco age (and, let’s face it, the butt of plenty of jokes), is completely transformed; the up-tempo, upbeat, very high-pitched pop hit is morphed into a slow, slinking, sexy — bordering on sleazy — song.
• “Kicking Back (ft. Masta Marx)” by O.J. Hodding — You could nearly call this a throwback or revivalist hip hop tune — it’s very reminiscent of things you might hear in the mid to late ‘90s. Conflictingly, both Tupac and Outkast come to mind. There are two separate vocals and, each in their own way, they both almost resemble Del the Funky Homosapien in tone. It’s fairly gentle, but the vocals are driving; musically it’s as funky as it’s hip hop-y.
• “Open Arms” by Jordan Mackampa — Vocals. Guitar. Drums. That’s basically all there is to this tune (though the bass comes in at the chorus and helps to flesh things out). The guitar, playing a very quick fingerpicked phrase, is cyclical and at times muddy. The vocals are strong — rich and full, with a good range — but are likely to be confusable with any number similarly styled R&B/soul-type crooners. Overall the elements of this song all sort of blend together.
• “Those Nights” by Felix Snow — The keys, the synth, the programmed drums, the pitch shifted vocal accents, the male-female vocal pairing with a bonus hip hop-style verse — this song has every element of an electropop tune designed for radio play. And that’s not really a good thing.
• “Wild Life” by Client Liaison — ‘80s revivalism very much in the style of Michael Jackson seems to be the MO of this group. Though different in overall tone, there is an incredible similarity in terms of elements, style, and progression between this tune and the last one of theirs that made this mixtape. To be honest, I’m bored of it.
• “Breathe” by Snow Garden — This is what you get when you mix classic piano-centric lounge jazz with modern production techniques (like almost overbearingly prominent drums) and a willingness to try something and see if it sticks. It sticks — I want more of this, and I want it badly.

Stand Outs: A little R&B, a little funk, a little jazz, a little soul, “Slice of Paradise” by Cool Company is a solid, groovin’ track. Say Lou Lou takes the immediately recognizable “Stayin’ Alive” and turns it on its head to great effect. O.J. Hodding and guest Masta Marx take hip hop to a simpler time, relying on their rhymes and delivery more than tricks or gimmicks, the result being the beautiful and honest (and old school) “Kicking Back.” Snow Garden’s modernization of lounge jazz in “Breathe” manages to make something new while honoring and respecting the old.

Let Downs: Client Liaison has appeared on the Noon Pacific playlist twice, and twice their offering was full-on ‘80s nostalgia, songs that are more carbon copies than homages, and it’s getting tiresome. Felix Snow’s “Those Nights” is a shameless reach for radio play, distinctly un-unique and distinctly unappealing.

Verdict: Noon Pacific // 205 was strong. Though a little more hip hop heavy than usual, those tracks seemed to be very carefully chosen. These tunes and other genre surprises carried the list in spite of a couple of real duds.

Noon Pacific, a labor of love, is updated with a new 10-track mixtape every week. Sign up here — it’s totally free, and you’ll get an email notification every Monday when the new tape goes live.