This summer has certainly gone out with a loud bang. My hiatus from writing this blog has come to a halt with the devastating news on the late icon Mac Miller. As I lay on my couch this Saturday night scrolling through Netflix trying to figure out what to watch next I received a text from one of my best friends saying “did you hear about mac?” I halfheartedly responded “is he dead?”. The unfortunate answer is yes. At the very young age of 26 Mac Miller has died of a drug overdose. I find myself trying to fully comprehend what has happened and why I feel so deeply affected by the lost life of a rapper whose music I don’t really listen to. The reason is that if you are a millennial, regardless of whether you are a Mac Miller fan or not, he has had some kind of impact on your life. When I instinctively started scrolling through social media to read more details I saw many i-miss-you’s and you-inspired-me’s in the form of stories, tweets and Instagram posts. And although I cannot sincerely echo the sentiment I felt the need to express my sadness and disbelief of the news in some way. So here I am, reviving my blog after 4 months to provide my form of tribute to the great Mac Miller.

 

In an interview published only Thursday, September 6, Mac talked about his most recent album and how he was finally making the music he wanted to make. The first time I listened to swimming it didn’t leave a huge impression. I enjoyed it, especially the first half which felt like a different vibe than the second, but I knew not enough that I would revisit it in the future so I dismissed it. The recent news has me revisiting the album and if I can dare to say there is even one tiny positive thing to come out of this it’s that I got the opportunity to give this album a second chance.

 

The album starts off softly before leading into the second song. This introduction allows me to warm up to the heavier messages over modern-sounding beats. The biggest highlight of this album for me is the production. While I really appreciate Mac's style of sing-rapping, the clean background really captures my attention throughout the whole album. Typically, I don't like the type of rap that is laid over heavier 'boom bap' type beats and this couldn't be further from it. My favourite tracks on Swimming are 2009, Hurt Feelings and Wings with my least favourite being Jet Fuel. Since I am a bad-news-first type of girl, I will start by explaining why Jet Fuel is on the bottom of my list. At the start of the song there is an echo-y voice that I dislike and don't feel like belongs there. I also don't really like the way that he says "jet fuel" throughout the song. For some reason it just rubs me the wrong way and feels like nails on a chalkboard. Other than that there is not really anything wrong with the song but the other songs on this album don't have anything that I particularly dislike. 2009 is in my top three for one simple reason: I love classical music and the integration of it into modern music. The whole first minute of this song is composed of strings and a piano and for a second I forget that I am listening to a hip-hop album. When the lyrics come in the strings are dropped but the piano remains alongside the introduction of simple percussion. The production doesn't vary for the rest of the song other than some background vocals and a xylophone at the end. In this song Mac proves that sometimes less really is more. Hurt feelings makes the list because of its very catchy beat and consistent lyrical flow. I couldn't tell you why, maybe there is a scientific reason, but musical symmetry relaxes and excites me at the same time. The last song to impress me, Wings, has a sort of abstract lyrical flow. The rhythm in which he raps changes a couple of times throughout the song and the phrases don't have the same, or even a similar, number of syllables. The only word I can think of to describe this song is interesting. My attention is naturally peaked when it comes on and it does an excellent job of refocusing me on the music when I get to the halfway point of the album.

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Overall, I rate this album four stars out of five. Although I am very happy that I gave it a second chance, it still doesn't quite match up to my personal favourite albums. The structure of the album and song order is perfect. It recaptures my attention in the right places and musically tells a story in an order that is easy to follow. The songs also all gel together very well. They don't sound too similar that it sounds like listening to a one-hour song and they don't sound too different that it sounds like the songs are battling each other for a spot on the disc.

 

I have never done this before, but because of the way you inspired my generation and especially one of my best friends Tim, Mac I give you an honourary fifth star. You have revolutionised the music and hip-hop industry in a way that can never be forgotten and although your life was cut short, your impact will live on forever. Rest in peace, Malcom McCormick.