Yasin Elahee – SOMEWHERE BETWEEN HERE, THERE & EVERYWHERE (Album Review)

Yasin Elahee, hailing from Calgary, Canada, released his third LP titled SOMEWHERE BETWEEN HERE, THERE, & EVERYWHERE, a concept album. The album is primarily electronic, incorporating various other genres like progressive rock and disco. According to Elahee, the album explores “the duality between success and death; coming to terms with what’s on the other side of the unknown.” Let’s get into it!

The album begins with a two-part song “UBIQUITOUS”. “Pt. 1” is quite short, but it introduces us to the sound that will define the album, especially the grooves. I will say that I’m not fond of the percussion’s rhythm, which I feel to be a bit inconsistent and disjointed with everything else that’s going on around it. Nonetheless, I still enjoy it. “Pt. 2”, on the other hand, it’s a bit long, clocking in at nearly seven minutes. The song continues is the definition of groove, including different types of percussions that brings everything together. The synths are also really well done, along with the different vocal effects. With its several sections, including breakdowns and intense moments, it may be a bit confusing to grasp all the elements. However, Elahee does a wonderful complimenting all the sounds and wrapping it up to give a song that’s very eclectic yet uniform.

“PANIC of the PARANOID”, might be my favorite on this record. It’s a decent length, clocking at three-and-a-half minutes, but there’s quite a bit that goes on. Overall, the song keeps it simple, having a standard drum beat and a bass line. Elahee’s delivery, almost robotic in how he speaks, works with the overall theme of the album. I also love the synth work on this song and that great riff that makes up the melody of the chorus. This song is just too damn catchy, I’ve been having it on repeat and will continue to do so.

“SENTIMENTS of FINALITY” has Elahee double-down on his robotic performance with the addition of more overt vocal effects. Usually, I cringe at most artists who do this, but not this time. Elahee’s use of these effects is not overbearing nor are they annoying. Like the other songs, this song has a great bass groove to it that will make anyone want to move.

I also love the different forms of percussion that are used, being discreet, yet adding great flavor to the song. I also love those moments where the piano is dissonant, adding to the theme of the mind separating from the body. The final act of the song builds up on that last theme, being devoid of sound except for a quiet synth lead and an arpeggio at the very end.

“WORMHOLE” is the final and longest track on the album, clocking in at exactly eight minutes. I love almost every aspect of this song, especially the beginning with that piano intro and the woodwind sounds that complement it. I also love the middle portion with the synths, especially with those DEEP bass notes and piano chords that were just soothing to my ears. I also like the orchestral sound that was used in this section and the end, which help tie all those sounds together.

However, as much as I love these elements, I think Elahee was a bit messy with putting these sections together. There’s quite a bit of build-up on “WORMHOLE” that didn’t lead to the climax I expected. Mind you, this song is eight minutes long (not a problem for me, of course), with at least half of it dedicated to build-ups. I just think that it’s underwhelming when you get to the end, and that there could’ve been so much more. I also don’t feel like the percussion was all that good, especially compared to the tracks that came before it.

Here are my ratings for each song on a scale of 0-4:

1. UBIQUITOUS Pt. 1 – 3
2. UBIQUITOUS Pt. 2 – 4
3. PANIC of the PARANOID – 4
4. SENTIMENTS of FINALITY – 4
5. WORMHOLE – 3

SCORE/Excellent: I really did want to give this record the top grade, and I was this close to doing it. That being said, I weigh intros and outros more than the rest, so that’s what led me to my final decision. One must only take a look at my reviews and see that I usually do not give out good grades, and I have yet to give out an “Outstanding”. Mr. Elahee, made an album that was inches away from it, so I commend him for making this near-masterpiece. At the end of the day, this is a fantastic album that was crafted in a way a genius would, along with its concept of what seems like futuristic existentialism. The only advice I can offer to Mr. Elahee is to keep working on his craft. I really hope to hear another one of your projects. My hats off to you.

[We rank singles, EPs, and albums on a scale of Poor, Mediocre, Good, Excellent, and Outstanding]

Follow Yasin Elahee On:
Instagram
And Bandcamp