A new age of digital music production allows musicians to come back to life. Michael Jackson “released” music after his death, David Bowie’s vocals were utilized on his new song “Nuts.” Now, a full album has been released almost two years after an artist’s death with the help of unreleased tracks.
On Jan. 17, Mac Miller’s former label, Warner Records, with the help of Jon Brion, released the 12-track album “Circles” following Mac Miller’s death in 2018. “Circles” is Miller’s sixth studio album, debuting two years after his last album, “Swimming.” Brion, who also produced “Swimming,” had the intention of the two albums feeding into a trilogy. At the time of Miller’s death, a majority of the vocals were recorded for “Circles,” and Brion worked with the late artist’s family to ensure that the feel of the album matched the concept work and the memory they hoped to create.
The album starts with the serene and melancholy titular track “Circles.” The lyrics frame the mood captured by the rest of the album: feeling trapped. The song closes out with the instrumentals fading out softly and Miller saying, “It’s gettin’ pretty late, gettin’ pretty late/ Damn, and I find/ It goes around like the hands that keep countin’ the time/ Drawin’ circles…”
The lyricism of Mac Miller combined with the production work of Jon Brion allow for the mood to shift between songs from downbeat songs like “Good News” to jazzier tracks like “Everybody.” This album seems to take the form of its title: moving between upbeat, jazzier tracks channeling Miller’s rap history and slower, more intimate songs that address Miller’s past battles with addiction and depression. Moments on this album even bring instances of optimism in reference to Miller’s recovery. The seventh track, “Woods,” finishes with, “We can only go up/ We can only go up…”
Miller has used music to explicate his experiences like finding love and loss between “Swimming” and “The Divine Feminine,” and “Circles” is no exception. The album is raw and the musicality feels like it ties up the loose ends in the near-rambling emotional rollercoaster of Miller’s life. Especially in the context of his death, this album hurts and heals over its 12 tracks. It succeeds in preserving Miller’s life and talent in a musical scene that missed it.
Best Cuts
“Circles,” “Good News,” “Everybody,” “Woods,” “That’s On Me,” “Surf” and “Once a Day”
