Mini-Reviews: FaltyDL/Vondelpark/Kurt Vile

FaltyDL
You Stand Uncertain
Rating: Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It

New York-based DJ FaltyDL is one of the more prominent US names in the burgeoning dubstep scene. His sound is not on the bass-heavy side of the genre, but on more of the Burial/James Blake side, with emphasis on the skeletal two-step drum programming and ambient washes of keyboards. Unlike Burial and Blake, FaltyDL still doesn't have a true signature sound that defines him clearly in a sea of other producers. When he is on though, he can really make some beautiful music. Lead single "Gospel of Opal (ft. Anneka) is a true standout; ringing, bell-like keyboards lumber over organ and a skittering beat, with gorgeous vocals from Anneka.



Too often, however, the album comes across as too scattered; attempting too many styles without focusing on his strengths. Songs like "The Pacifist" and "Open Space" are all production show, with cool sounds but no melody or strong beat to connect with. The best tracks are the more mainstream songs, featuring vocalists or at least vocal samples, which at least provides some warmth. "Brazil" and "Waiting Patiently," both featuring Lily MacKenzie, use her soulful wails to get to you through the complex electronics.



"Waiting Patiently" truly shows FaltyDL is onto something: merging electro-house, blocky dubstep drums, and jazzy trip-hop piano trills to create a unique sound. If he had pushed his boundaries a little more in this direction I could see You Stand Uncertain really standing out against the competition. As it stands, it is merely a good record, showing the producer truly being uncertain about his direction.

Vondelpark
Sauna EP
Rating: Grrrr

Nothing much is known about producer Vondelpark aside from the fact he is based on London. He has no MySpace, Bandcamp, or Facebook pages; nothing except the music to speak for him. And what wonderful music. The songs on this EP are hazy and dreamlike musically, gauzy synths and keyboards, the vocals are heavily manipulated, haunted almost, but the beats are crisp and clear, owing more to garage and two-step than to chillwave. Opening track "California Analog Dream," is a perfect primer for his aesthetic; all of its elements, merging together perfectly:



"Hippodrome"'s elegant two-step beats push against the shimmering guitar work and white noise vocals:



"Jetlag Blue Version," is a song that will either hypnotize you with its submerged, looped vocals and druggy vibe, or it will be akin to water torture:



"Backflip (In The Sauna)" is a track that shows Vondelpark capable of understated beauty. The dream-like vocals and fuzzed out music sound as if coming from a radio submerged underwater before a hip-hop beat takes over and his vocals are played up against a female vocal sample. He is masterful at taking disparate sounds and making them work seamlessly. Sauna is a very short intro to Vondelpark, and of course, owing to his secretive persona, there is no indication if an official full-length is upcoming. I plan to be awaiting it impatiently.

Kurt Vile
Smoke Ring For My Halo
Rating: Grrrr

Philadelphia singer-songwriter Kurt Vile's fourth album is the first one that has seriously grabbed me from the beginning. It sounds like a "great album" and is likely a nice mix of been around the block a hundred times experience and just good timing. Gone are the more low-fi sounding recordings of his past, and enter lush, cathedral-like expansive rooms to wander in. He moves effortlessly from gorgeous, heart-breakingly beautiful ballads like "Baby's Arms" and the haunting "On Tour,"



to shuffling mid-tempo tracks like the perfect song "Jesus Fever,"



and dense, murky rockers like "Puppet to the Man."



Smoke Ring For My Halo reminds me somewhat of Grizzly Bear's breakthrough album Veckatimest, not so much in similar sound, but in terms of taking all the right elements and making them work together perfectly for the first time. There is so much texture and room for exploration in the album, you are always finding new nooks and crannies; from the moody, dreamlike "Society Is My Friend,"



the intricate guitars and subtle story-telling of "Peeping Tomboy,"



and the drugged out, fuzz-fest of closer "Ghost Town."



Smoke Ring For My Halo begs you to get lost in its environments. It is like reading a towering volume of short-stories from a master. At the end you are exhausted and mentally drained, but your mind and body are forever changed from the experience.

Rating Guide

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and peaks one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.