Merging genres successfully is something many artists struggle to get a handle on, yet here comes Christian List: an emerging talent who displays burgeoning skills mixing genres in a way both conceptually expressive and musically harmonious.
On his new album, Beach, List manages an impressive amalgam of indie rock, country, and pop into expressions of love amidst the sea.
The opener of the LP, "On the Beach," is the strongest manifestation of List's abilities as displayed on the record. This song melds influences from country, alternative rock, and synth pop, each contributing to a cinematic opener that draws listeners in to the song's setting. Essential also is his vocal performance. He sports an impressive vocal range on this song suitable for its pop influences. It's as if these genres were always connected to themes of aquatic life.
Continuing this impressive showing is "Through the Motions," the sixth track and another notable number on the album.
List begins this song by bathing listeners in reverb-soaked drums and synths that create the moodiest song on the LP. He himself is substantially more restrained here, letting his words be washed more intimately within the surrounding instrumentation. The added bits of guitar are resonating, too, helping to build what is the record's most immersive soundscape. Hearing this song individually, it is difficult to believe this song fits within a record of country influences, but it sits comfortably within the record's own musical world.
Stripping things back is the following track, "Only One Thing." Drawing from a base of mostly acoustic instruments, it brings the record's catchiest hook. As List sings "I'm still tryin' to shine a light," he musters a delivery more soulful in comparison to any of the other tracks. The song stands out as another example of his willingness to sonically experiment. The track is comparatively relaxed, taking a risk to provide a needed respite from the record's synth-dominated atmosphere.
A final highlight is the album's closer, "Weightless."
While it includes the ambient background decorations featured on the majority of the tracks, the song is uniquely sparse. Here, List delivers some of the record's most emotionally potent lyricism. With lines such as, "I move along with no sound at all / I'll be lost beyond recall," he sings about the sensation of having no sense of direction or personal identity, so as to be floating along "weightless." It's a melancholy ending, one that ties the record's themes of love and the past up neatly.
With Beach, Christian List is breaking new ground for himself. Never a stranger to experimentation, he brings his fullest self to the table. Adventurous as he is, listeners can only wonder where he will drift off to next.
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