Album Review: Memory Tapes - Grace/Confusion

Memory Tapes
Grace/Confusion
Rating: Grrrr

Returning quickly with a new record, Memory Tapes, a.k.a. Dayve Hawk, appears to be trying to do damage control after his second record, 2011's Player Piano seemed to stall his forward progression. 2009's Seek Magic was one of those records that came out of nowhere to bewitch and beguile, taking dance-pop to new levels with a focus on dreamy guitar and synth textures, using lengthy run times to completely bathe the listener in washes of ethereal gorgeousness. 2011's Player Piano made the mistake of trying to corral these meanderings into more traditional song structures, muting the impact that the tracks could have had. While it was not a disastrous record, it just didn't play to his obvious strengths, and left me wanting. In interviews, Hawk has mentioned that Grace/Confusion would return to longer song structures and be messier and more experimental. While this is true in theory, the record is actually more of a mix of both his records, featuring a little more structure to his usual wanderlust. While it still pales in comparison to the effortless nature of Seek Magic, it is definitely a huge step back on track.

With the shortest track coming in just over 5 minutes long, there is not a lot of succinctness here. There is a nice balance though between more traditional song structures and Hawk's penchant for lazily follow his own path. Opener "Neighborhood Watch" starts off in a dreamy haze before lifting off with a rising tide of keyboards and insistent guitars, and closing out with a lengthy, almost-psychedelic coda.



Two of the lengthier tracks really showcase Hawk's uncanny knack for blending different moods into a seamless whole. "Safety" strikes out from a muted beginning into a lightly funked up synth pop jam, morphing halfway through touching on guitar drone, dream pop, and shoegaze before circling back.



"Sheila," which despite its almost 9 minute run time could be the album's one "single" takes its time from its shambling opening, into a New Order-esque synth workout, climbing into more prog-guitar territory.



The more traditional tracks still offer lots of interesting textures and sounds in them, but on a more economical scale, from "Follow Me"'s mooning keyboards and aching vocals, "Thru the Field"'s dream pop romanticism, and the stunning eruption of synth percussion at the end of the mournful "Let Me Be." All of these tracks combine into a deliriously varied and inviting record. While it really doesn't advance his aesthetic much from Seek Magic, it appears more of a way to regain his momentum from the misstep that was Player Piano. When the music is this fun and engaging, however, I don't particularly mind an artist playing to their strengths again.

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.