Composition
In contrast to Buckethead's other albums, Colma is an acoustic album. Most of the tracks are composed on acoustic guitar. Additionally, Colma mostly contains simple bass guitar, lead guitar, and drum playing parts. James Lien of CMJ New Music Monthly writes that Colma's melodies are "geometric and mathematical-sounding, almost like Bach or modern classical music." Andy Gill of The Independent describes the mood of the album as "reflective" saying, " the dry, neutral tone favoured by jazz guitarists on a series of discreet instrumentals."
Furthermore, Gill describes the tracks "Ghost" and "Hills of Eternity" as being "ruminative, sluggish pieces sprinkled with limpid droplets of guitar." He also thought the title-track, "Colma", closed the album "like the twinkle of a long-dead star." Reviewer Jeff Clutterbuck of The Daily Vault considers "Watching the Boats With My Dad" to be an authentic, emotional track writing that " is so wistful and flows so gently, you have to believe it was inspired by a real moment." On the other hand, "Big Sur Moon" offers a change of style in guitar playing showcasing Buckethead's consistent quick rhythmic ability on acoustic guitar.
"Big Sur Moon", named after the region of Big Sur in California, is played solely on an acoustic guitar with a delay pedal effect. While being a member of Guns N' Roses from 2000 to 2004, Buckethead included the song to the band's setlist as part of his solo.
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