|
|
|
BANDS: Punk
& Ska INTERESTS: Venues ETC... About
LOTD
|
Den of Size:
Flighty
Wow. Talk about a mixed bag. The album Flighty by Den of Size has taken a little off of almost every plate at the electronic music pot luck. Okay, enough with the idioms. Den of Size manages to weave a surprising number of different electronic themes and genres into this release without it ever seeming forced. Somehow, even with all of the stylistic forks in the road and songwriting switch-backs, Den of Size manages to keep a hold of the album as a whole. Some of their explorations yield better results than others, but the fact that they managed to produce an album with identity out of such disparate parts is an accomplishment in itself. At their best, these songs combine a mix of breathy female vocals and accomplished electronic and traditional instruments. The second track, When Violence Calls, is an example of their successes with this format. Whispered answering lyrics, whistling, plucked accompaniment, light drums (are there brushes there?), and harmonic fills crash together in a softer song that is mournful, yet remains interesting and somewhat tense by good thematic movement throughout the piece. Something else Den of Size does admirably is to use ethnic percussion without embarrassing themselves. I dont know exactly how they accomplished this, but the exotic flairs that appear on a few of these tracks never stick out as painfully as they do on some of their electronic contemporaries most recent releases. They similarly get away with borrowing staples of older electronic and industrial songs that I would normally consider gauche. Heavily distorted lead vocals, Battery-style studied howls and extended vocal samples all find a place here. Plus, on the track Shanti (For Rajesh), it sounds as if they are recording a sitcom reunion soundtrack underwater, and that alone was enough to make me excited about the whole thing.
About LOTD Contact/Staff Advertise Home All content © LEFT OFF THE DIAL 2001-2005. All rights reserved. |
