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Wildfire’s six songs are among the best Bo Baskoro has yet written and recorded. He’s increasingly recognizable as one of the public faces for international brand Maxwell House, has several past releases to his credit, so his continued rise isn’t surprising. The steep upward trajectory he’s traveling, however, is a little astonishing. The six tracks included on this new EP have varying length but each one of the songs packs a tremendous punch. His writing has taken a quantum leap forward as well – the songwriting is distinguished by flawless construction. Nothing runs on too long and overstays its welcome.
URL: https://www.bobaskoro.com/
No other track embodies that better than the first one. “Every Memory” ends just short of 2 minutes long but, despite its length, has a fully-realized beginning, middle, and end. I never felt cheated hearing the track. I’m likewise blown away by his orchestrating skills. Baskoro threads a seemingly endless wealth of synthesizers, keyboards, and sequencers into a virtual wall of sound, but it’s never inert. The vocal melody Baskoro lays over top provides a compelling contrast with the music.
“The Color Blue” is arguably the zenith of his orchestral skills on display. Baskoro positions each musical idea in the right place and the slowly rising momentum the song has makes it standout even in this fine company. Baskoro writes about romantic relationships with maturity you don’t often hear in pop music. “Love You Now” continues exploring similar themes in different musical dressing. Baskoro’s release has an unity of sound holding things together, there are radical detours, but he knows how to shake things up, as well, without ever running off course.
“Close Enough” is one of the album’s best lyrics. Baskoro seems to know it as well – he’s turned in fantastic performances all across Wildfire but pours added emotion into this song. It won’t escape your notice. I feel like this song is one of the most intimate tracks on the album and follows a “dialogue” form of songwriting that’s affecting. “3:18pm” relies on atmospherics more than any song since the opener. Baskoro’s vocal melody carries that part of the song there and here and the results are the same. It’s one of the album’s best performances. It may fly under the radar, however, when compared to other songs.
The track provides a good introduction of sorts to the finale. “Wildfire” ends the EP on a conclusive note and it’s enjoyable to hear how Baskoro revisits an assortment of elements from earlier songs. It never sounds gratuitous, however. His lyrics are top-notch once again and it’s a example of his songwriting skills that he can continue mining nuggets from the same thematic ground.
Bo Baskoro continues growing his audience with each new release and it’s fascinating to hear. He brings exceptional confidence to everything he touches and that audible spirit in his songwriting will inspire anyone hearing this EP. It’s a peak moment for this young songwriter, but I am sure there are many more ahead.
by Kim Sullenberger
