There is no question that RIMALDI is a good artist—but unfortunately, as much as I really wanted to like this album, 888 DREAMALDI FM is too sonically synthetic and emotionally distant for his talents.
When I was in high school, I was often praised for being good at so many things. In the English dictionary, the appropriate expression for someone like me would be the “jack of all trades.” At the time, especially as a student, I thought that being good at so many things was the ultimate goal. I was still naive and short-sighted back then. It took several years after high school for me to realise that “jack of all trades” is actually a backhanded compliment. Life has taught me that being good at so many things also means that you’re not necessarily great at things that matter the most.
From what I can observe, a lot of younger artists out there—particularly the indie, self-made ones—are prone to the pressure of being good at so many things. They must master singing. And songwriting. And producing their own music. And promoting their music. And making interesting content on social media. And negotiating their record deals. The list goes on and on. That is why being heralded as “multitalented”—translation: being good at so many things—can be as enticing as scoring your first number-one hit on the Spotify Indonesia Top 50 chart. Little do these artists know that the pursuit of that label comes with a double-edged sword.
RIMALDI’s second full-length album, 888 DREAMALDI FM, is the musical equivalent of that double-edged sword. This record makes the case for RIMALDI’s multiple talents: as a singer, a songwriter, a music producer, a concept designer, a collaborator, and an idea executor. The final product, to my heartbreak, underwhelms.
888 DREAMALDI FM presents itself akin to an FM Radio experience—with a somewhat sinister twist as it builds—which, to RIMALDI’s credit, suggests willingness to offer something different to the ardent music listeners out there. “BUMPER – Guest Stars”, “CALL-IN SEGMENT”, “BUMPER – A CHANGE OF HEART”, and “AD BREAK & IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT”, in particular, are interesting intermissions in between the songs. That being said, this format feels gimmicky very fast and, as the album progresses, neither enriches nor elevates the actual music. Meanwhile, the overall direction of 888 DREAMALDI FM appears ‘cohesively incohesive.’ This could be fun—if the album only consists of less than 10 tracks. But if it consists of 27 tracks and collectively spans approximately an hour? Even a patient music listener such as myself would find it too intimidating to give it a go.
In the case of 888 DREAMALDI FM, RIMALDI’s focus on sonic diversity is ambitiously widespread, from country (“A Place Like Kansas”), alternative country (“This House Just Isn’t Home”), electronic art-pop (“Madness, or the Modern Artist’s Guide to Success”), spiritual dangdut (“Dangdut Kiamat”), nu-disco (“Disco Baby”), hip-hop (“My Kinda Party”), and even children’s music with a touch of showtune energy (“Kakakku Bunting”)—and these are merely a few of the examples. In theory, 888 DREAMALDI FM should have translated into a fascinating musical fantasia. However, in reality, nearly all of this album’s tracks leave nothing but a faint impression at the end of each respective note.
There are two major issues that, at least according to my assessment, contribute to this album’s shortcomings. The first issue is how RIMALDI seemed to be so focused on turning 888 DREAMALDI FM into a celestial rollercoaster, as well as providing ample and comfortable space for his numerous guest vocalists, that he might have forgotten to bring some originality and genuine character to each of his tracks. “This House Just Isn’t Home” sounds as though RIMALDI had admired Norah Jones’ 2004 album, Feels Like Home, so much that he had become too reserved to put his own spin on the alternative-country soundscape. “Madness, or the Modern Artist’s Guide to Success” musically comes across as a skin-deep replication of electronic art-pop as opposed to a sincere commitment to the genre. “People of the Sun” sounds less like RIMALDI’s indisputable creative ownership and more like a pitched demo for Tyla.
And unfortunately, RIMALDI doesn’t always know where to draw the line in the sand, especially when the music production starts distracting the actual song. The music production of “Kakakku Bunting” is presented in such an overly tongue-in-cheek manner that the song’s touching message ends up being dissolved and inadvertently telegraphed as sarcastic instead. “I’m at a Party (and I Don’t Wanna Be Here)” could have been this year’s much-needed anthem for antisocials everywhere. But lamentably, RIMALDI puts too many ingredients into the pot that the production ends up sinking the song’s substance. On top of that, for a song with such a short duration, “I’m at a Party (and I Don’t Wanna Be Here)” contains such a bewilderingly speedy tempo, which, instead of conjuring a relatable sense of anxiety, makes the song difficult to follow by ear.
The second issue is how, as talented as he is, RIMALDI simply loses sight of the basics. If only RIMALDI had decided to quit with his bells and whistles for a bit and given more proper attention to the song’s construction, “This House Just Isn’t Home” could have been the glowing emotional centrepiece that 888 DREAMALDI FM desperately needs. If only RIMALDI had spent less time building the music and more time crafting much cleverer lyricism, as well as a punchier melody, “Tenang” could have been a genuinely cool offering that better reflects RIMALDI’s talents.
For lack of a better word, Samo Rafael simply doesn’t have the vocal chops to carry a dangdut tune (“Dangdut Kiamat”), and no earnest effort from RIMALDI as both the music producer and the co-vocalist could salvage it. “My Kinda Party” contains some poor word choices that seem to be such a rookie misstep, especially coming from a songwriter as experienced as RIMALDI. As I listened to 888 DREAMALDI FM again and again, I started wondering, “Was the disheveled quality of these songs actually intentional from RIMALDI’s part?” I hope not—as it would have made the entire record feel like a cop-out instead.
There are a few decent songs in 888 DREAMALDI FM, though. With time and solid promotional effort, “Tenang” may have the potential to make a splash among the casual pop music listeners. Similarly, “Balada Bubur Bencana” may have what it takes to become Gen Z’s next viral sensation. “Dangdut Kiamat” could become the possible beginning of a beautiful friendship between RIMALDI and AntiNRML.
But here’s what frustrates me the most regarding 888 DREAMALDI FM: even though I can pretty much understand RIMALDI’s vision of the David Lynch-esque controlled chaos, this album doesn’t stand as a leap forward following his 2023 debut full-length album, Awakening. What initially led me to RIMALDI’s Awakening was his raspy baritone surrounded by guileless, yet effective music production—but his songwriting, at the time, was still amateurish and guarded. In Awakening, I found that RIMALDI often used the English-language lyricism as a stylistic mechanism to keep his listeners at arms’ length and was still hesitant to completely bare his soul, which, to be fair, is not unusual for a newbie artist.
Yet somehow, three years later, RIMALDI had basically built for himself taller and thicker walls. 888 DREAMALDI FM stands as a demonstration of out-of-the-box ideas and musical versatility—but at the expense of the artist’s vulnerability. Notwithstanding this album’s flashiness, none of the songs really stick, linger, and encourage afterthoughts. As a result, on an emotional level, 888 DREAMALDI FM does feel like an FM Radio broadcast: distant, impersonal, and not necessarily forthcoming.
RIMALDI is good at many things, but he’s not great (yet) at what matters the most: baring himself and making music that can connect and communicate, chest to chest, soul to soul. I know that this man is very talented, he’s got the fighting spirit to back it up, and he can actually make a much better record than this. In fact, once I finished listening to 888 DREAMALDI FM, I immediately revisited Awakening to remind myself of why this artist had entered my radar in the first place. Despite the flaws of Awakening, there is a warm heartbeat in that album that I still recognise from RIMALDI. And I hope that heartbeat helps RIMALDI remember what matters the most as well.
All images are courtesy of RIMALDI.