Correct Picture Color - The Screaming Pope (Avant-Garde) With Correct Picture Color, The Screaming Pope has delivered a unique sonic experience of genre bending electronic music that feels like the music corollary of an immersive theatrical experience. In fact, we could definitely envision a modern dance piece set to the record, or some other type of art installation. It is clear just from listening to the expert production of the piece that whoever is behind The Screaming Pope must have quite a lot of experience.
And we were right. Behind the Pope is George Bolton, a veteran of various music scenes including Chicago, Boston, New York and Rhode Island who has been writing electronic music since the early 80s. Correct Picture Color is his seventh LP in a series of albums, with this latest addition started just before Covid. A producer, engineer, session musician, songwriter and music video assistant, George certainly has quite the resume.
This is vibe music, with sparing female vocals used mostly in parallel to other instrumentation in the applicable tracks. Structure is abandoned in favor of mood, creating something more akin to an ASMR experience, or a meditation of sorts. After the brief intro of The Corporation, we immediately delve into a cavalcade of creatively titled pieces. On Accidental Mullet, we get a Norah Jones-esque vocal and an instrumentation that feels rooted in chill R&B. Another favorite of ours was Scrub-A-Dub, which pulls elements of nature and reggae to create an immersive atmosphere which continues into the trancey The Mountains—best described as almost a sleep meditation.
On The Wind is a beautifully crafted mix, and the vocals give more a of a spoken word poetry feel. On this track specifically, The Screaming Pope displays the maturity of his musicality. It feels seasoned and rich. Pairing nicely a few tracks later is Desert Heat, which evokes an eastern-tinged religious experience.
Other standouts tracks include Wheel of Destiny which immediately struck us as the closest to the mainstream thus far in the album. There is a feel of late 90s/early 00s EDM pop, specifically the work Madonna was doing on Ray of Light and Music, with ideas of the Don’t Tell Me and What It Feels Like For A Girl cropping up as we listened. Machines Making Machines Work For Me goes darker, giving a Berlin after hours club vibe with a melody that reminds us of an instrumental piece we doubt anyone knows called Incantation and Dance. This one should be served to DJs for sure.
But in the end it is Escondes which is our standout track. Coming out of nowhere from the collection of more mood inducing records, we are suddenly shocked by a latin bop with serious Ariana Grande vibes. This is the one we’ve had on repeat.
The talent on Correct Picture Color is obvious from the first few minutes of the collection, and we invite you to take a step away from the world, pour a glass of wine (or honestly, take an edible) and let Correct Picture Color take you on a trip around the world.