Album Review - Nedry: In A Dim Light

Nedry
In A Dim Light
Rating: Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It

London trio Nedry, comprised of Chris Amblin and Matt Parker, on guitars, laptops and synthesizers and Ayu Okakita on vocals, must have a very eclectic set of influences, as their new album In A Dim Light is a broad cross-collision of electronic and guitar based sounds. Imagine a landscape littered with wreckage from post-punk, trip-hop, modern R&B, drum n bass, and dubstep, and you might get a decent picture where this album will take you. Amblin and Parker's musical accompaniment is solid and mostly intriguing, though there seems to be a slight lack of edge with these 10 tracks, and too often it can become a game of spot the influence. Singer Okakita has one of those voices you will either love or hate; guttural one moment, sweet and soft the next, it is difficult to anticipate where her voice is going to take the song. Recalling at times Beth Ditto of Gossip, Mimi Goese of Hugo Largo, Louise Rhodes of Lamb, Liz Bougatsos of Gang Gang Dance, and even Bjork, Okakita is always commanding, if not necessarily that distinctive. Amblin and Parker seem to understand how to use her voice in the context of the songs, never allowing one to overtake the other, and are able to, for the most part, reign in Okakita's more over-the-top qualities.

In A Dim Light gets off with the slow rising "I Would Rather Explode" over droning synths and glacially plucked bass, which recalls the haunting soundscapes of Hugo Largo, whose comparisons become more apt when Okakita's voice comes in almost aping Goese's vocals verbatim. Things pick up considerably with second track "Post Six," which pairs glitchy percussion, synth burbles, and glistening/harsh guitar work underneath an understated vocal from Okakita.



Tracks like "Dusk Till Dawn" and "Violaceae" recall Vespertine era Bjork, with cooed/sighed whispers and minimal musical backing.



"TMA" takes a more forceful approach, its clattering percussion and gradually roaring guitars coming to life when Okakita takes on a Beth Ditto-like firestormer vocal.



Centerpiece track "Float" has a gradually increasing pulse and intensity recalled Mezzanine-era Massive Attack.



Frequently, Nedry add dubstep textures to tracks like "here.now.here" and "Havana Nights" which give just the right touch of modernity and sleekness to otherwise sleepy tracks. A more modern leaning approach like this would have propelled these tracks into better directions. Too often, they fall back onto tried and true formulas but don't add anything fresh or exciting. Final track "Home" begins promisingly with a hazy roll of low end synths and Okakita's raspy voice, adding off kilter drum programming and lusher synth washes, creating a pulsating midtempo track before erupting into a drum n bass outtro. It's a pleasant track, but again, it seems like it could easily have fit on a Lamb record in the early 90s.

In A Dim Light is a frequently interesting record that will grow on you with each listen, however, there is always a nagging suspicion in the back of your mind that either you have heard these songs before, or that the band is just not confident yet to take risks. There really is not a bad song on the album, my enjoyment of it was never compromised by thinking it referred to other bands. It just made me want more from them. The building blocks are here for something amazing, they just need to step out of the shadows of their influences and go forward with confidence.

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 piques 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.