Album Review - Tanlines: Mixed Emotions

Tanlines
Mixed Emotions
Rating: Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It

Brooklyn duo Tanlines, comprised of Jesse Cohen and Eric Emm, don't sound like the majority of their borough dance music brethren )such as LCD Soundsystem or The Rapture), forsaking angular guitar oriented grooves for more of a European/Balearic/Tropicalia infected synth-pop, recalling acts like The Tough Alliance, Delorean, and Air France. Their first EP Settings was a perfectly acceptable blend of synth heavy pop songs, lighted by a colorful brightness and breeziness. Some critics and fans have even likened their sound to the chillwave genre, however, the music to me is more overt and less hazy than anyone pegged in that group. Their debut album Mixed Emotions doesn't stray too far from the sound of Settings; focusing on lush synths, upbeat choruses, and lots of world music touches. The songwriting is tighter and more polished, and the production values have certainly increased.

Mixed Emotions is a grower for sure. It took several listens to really get the charms of the record. I think the pacing and sequencing are the main problem, with the album starting out so low key as to almost suffer from excessive blandness. Lead track "Brothers" floats along a bed of pillowy synths and muted drum programming, with Emm's nasally baritone under-emoting. The song is saved by a delicate building of elements that subtly take over the song, raising it up several levels.



Which picks up a little with the pop throb of "All of Me," a mix of buzzy keyboards, handclaps, chanted backup vocals, and chiming guitars.



However, "Green Grass" sounds like a Killers demo, the grinding guitars never really making much of an impression, while "Abby" is all smooth surfaces; albeit some gorgeous surfaces. "Yes Way" restarts the album, bouncing along on marimbas and a tropical vibe.



Which leads into the back half of the record where the songs just get better and better. Album highlight "Not the Same," carries forward on an impassioned vocal from Emm, the synths rising to meet him.



"Real Life" is a euphoric blend of analog keyboards and Latin percussion.



"Rain Delay" makes good use of sparkling guitars and tinny sounding drum machines, creating a template for a perfect pop song, while "Cactus" again corners the market on the whole Tropicalia/Balearic sound, with light, breezy percussion, trills of guitars, and deep beds of warm synths. The album ends on a melancholy note, with the lush ballad "Nonesuch."

Mixed Emotions is a solid set of tracks from Tanlines. With a little better sequencing of the tracks it would make the experience even better. As it is though, it is a subtle grower that might take several listens to get accustomed to, but these songs will find their way back into your mind.

Rating Scale:

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.