Agitated Atmosphere: CJ Boyd - Precariat

As major labels continue to exist behind the times, artists and labels with little capital and lesser reputations are producing some of the most innovative, interesting, and inspiring music. Whether it’s creating a new niche in digital technology or looking to once obsolete formats, Agitated Atmosphere hopes to pull back the curtain on a wealth of sights and sound from luminaries such as CJ Boyd.

What compels CJ Boyd to put it all out there? His releases are an oceanic (his word) pool of emotion and observation that feels heavy with every listen. And yet, one does not feel bogged down with the weight of Atlas when listening. The balance between the material and the phantasmagorical is a nimble dance of dirge and mass.Precariat furthers the trip down the flooded rabbit hole. An underwater world of regret and redemption in every lung full of precious air, gulped between swallows of salty sea. Though much of the mood is damp and the sound cavernous, there’s still a warmness flowing throughout. As dull a statement as it may seem, Boyd finds the positivity in isolation; the comfort in open space.

If there’s a definitive statement to be found about these conjectures, it’s “Fifth Story.” Boyd’s bass wandering like his own body, yet not lost in dark thoughts; the buzzing melody flashing a toothy grin as he scans the wild expanse before him. As a self-proclaimed nomad, the ability to capture the best from the worst is exemplified in his canon.

We’re told the lines are thin between negative and positive forces. Precariat surveys both from its tightly wound perch. An elegant balance on a minute rope.

Justin Spicer is a freelance editor and journalist whose work can be viewed at his website. You can also find him on Twitter.