Originally a scrapped album, Balloonerism has been removed from the vault and has been released today as Mac Miller’s seventh studio album and his second posthumous release.
This album was resurrected by both Miller’s family and musician Jon Brion, who earlier took the role of finishing Miller’s first posthumous album, Circles, and is now returning to once again carry on Miller’s legacy.
Balloonerism was recorded in The Sanctuary in Los Angeles in March 2014, with Warner Bros. Records originally wanting to release the project in January 2015. However, the album was unfortunately scrapped, with the gap filled by the album Good:Am and by Faces, the mixtape that borrows heavily from Balloonerism’s sound with Miller’s tambourine, jazzy hip hop fusion, and overall emotion and lyricism.
There had been a leaked tracklist for Balloonerism that contained about 24 songs. The actual release contains 14 songs, with Faces demos and original versions of “Uber” and “Colors and Shapes” not included.
Balloonerism is a personal piece from Mac’s inner self, with songs containing eerily personal lyrics alongside constant nods to his friends and family. The song “Rick’s Piano” is an obvious nod to elite hip hop producer Rick Rubin, who was essential in Miller’s development, with Rubin helping Miller work on the songs that would later become Faces.
This album’s inclusion of Delusional Thomas, a character designed by Miller to portray his innermost and darkest thoughts, is obviously a personal choice. Miller’s character stands out the most on tracks like “Do You Have a Destination,” “Excelsior,” and “Transformations,” as the distorted, high-pitched vocals and morbid lyrics likely will send shivers down listeners’ spines.
Not only is a tambourine used in almost every track, Miller also names the first track of this album “Tambourine Dream.” The title is a personal deep cut to Miller’s wacky yet elite style and sound. The constant flow kept by the tambourine on nearly every track on Balloonerism helps keep the pace alongside keeping the sound and vibes seem very chill or calm.
One of the most morbid songs Miller has ever released, “Mrs. Deborah Downer” has a dark sound. There is a bass guitar in the background while Miller discusses his vices and the power that they have over him. Miller goes on to speculate what his life might turn into and the loneliness and isolation that were sure to come with the fame and talent.
Through these grim realities come some of his best and most beautiful music ever. This includes “Funny Papers,” which is an introspective song about Miller seeing both death and life through the comic strips in newspapers – in the case of a man crashing his car and a baby being born. The duality detailed in “Funny Papers” is truly remarkable, with Miller hitting both sides of the coin when it comes to life.
Another eerie track is “Manakins,” which uses a loop of a harp and a synth, making it one of his most melancholic beats ever. In the track, Miller seemingly gives up in his fight to save himself from his vices. Despite the depressing lyrics, the track has a sort of bittersweet feeling to it, as Miller discusses his death while performing some of his best vocals ever on the hook of the song.
The track “Shangri La” is one of the best examples of an earlier version of Miller’s fused style, which he used in both Swimming and Circles. With Miller’s usage of synths and a verse of both singing and rapping, the track begins to show his trademark versatile style, which borrows heavily from rap, jazz, and pop.
Balloonerism is a record no Mac Miller fan ever expected to hear officially, but that time has come with Jon Brion’s help. Miller will live on through his music, and his incredibly versatile style will continue to receive constant praise, as it deserves.
