Album Review: Lapalux - Nostalchic

Lapalux
Nostalchic
Rating: Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It

Twenty-four year old Stuart Howard, going under the name Lapalux, is one of the more accessible artists on Flying Lotus' Brainfeeder label, utilizing more pop structures in his work. Not to say that any of the tracks on his debut LP Nostalchic will be climbing the Billboard charts anytime soon, but there is a definite spark to his tracks that reign in his more experimental tendencies. On his previous EPs for Brainfeeder, When You’re Gone and Some Other Time, Howard showed himself to be one of the densest artists working on the label, sometimes seeming as if there were thousands of elements jockeying for position within any one track. When it worked, it reached sublime levels, but too often it bordered on cacophony. For the most part, on Nostalchic he chooses to let his tracks breathe rather than throwing everything but the kitchen sink in, coming up with a delicate harmony between the LA beat scene, R&B, and IDM.

His best work creates a palpable sense of longing and sadness. Lead single "Without You" featuring vocals from Kerry Leatham is a haunting future R&B track taking Leatham's languorous vocals, pitch shifting them until they almost seem to lack meaning, taking the track into almost unbearable depths of despair.



"One Thing" merges 1999-era Prince like moaning synths and clattering percussion with a futuristic Aaliyah vocal turn from Jenna Andrews, creating a gorgeously melancholy ballad.



Howard again utilizes pitch shifting to a highly emotional effect on the Astrid Williamson sung track "Dance," which replicates the way your inner voice inside your head can sometimes get out of control.



And final track "OEA" with a second vocal from Jenna Andrews starts out as a dusky, jazzy guitar ballad before shoveling off into a beatcentric track showing off Howard's future garage chops.



While I had a better connection with his more pop-leaning tracks, that is not to say his instrumental work lacks any appeal. "Guuurl" is a dense collage of fractured synths, tortured vocal samples, and clomping percussion,



"IAMSYS (Tape Intro)" is a perfect L.A. beat scene intro with liquidy keyboards and shuffling programming,



and "Flower" creates a gorgeous dreamworld of reversed keyboards and diva vocal samples.



Howard does overstretch himself on occasion with some tracks that could have benefited from some judicious editing. "Kelly Brock" starts out interestingly with some haunting synth riffs but ultimately loses its way with just too many elements added, miring the beauty of the track, while "Swallowing Smoke" lurches and stutters with no true direction, never really finding its true path. But overall, Nostalchic has a quirky charm to it that pulls you back in time and time again. It is obvious that Howard is a very talented producer that is still trying to see what fits and what doesn't. With each release he is showing more and more confidence, and if he keeps creating tracks like the brilliant "Without You" he will likely strike gold soon.

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.