Album Review: Discovery- LP
Written by willshoob on Thursday, 9 of July , 2009 at 10:17 pm
It’s pretty hard to look at Discovery and consider it a “side project”. While most side projects are not taken full advantage of and are just gimmicks of the artists’ original band, Discovery is very different. The music Wes Miles (Ra Ra Riot) and Rostam Batmanglij (Vampire Weekend) make together is far from anything they’ve ever pursued in each of their regular bands. Neither of those bands use synthesizers (for the most part), and this new project is almost exclusively done electronically. I wouldn’t be surprised if there wasn’t a live instrument featured on the entire album, besides vocals of course. That’s precisely what makes this project so interesting. These two could have easily combined forces and created a combination of the two, resulting in something far less interesting and far more marketable than their current ambitions into the world of cheesy synth pop. The good cheesy synth pop, that is.
The album starts off with “Orange Shirt”, a tale about a boy in an awkward relationship with a girl. I feel like if the lyrics were more self-confident and braggadocios, this would be the indie worlds response to T.I.’s 2006 hit, “What You Know”. The synth line in the chorus resembles T.I.’s brilliant beat, the same one that had me singing along at every single bar mitzvah. The next track, “Osaka Loop Line”, has an awesome breakdown, where the synth gets chopped up, and the hi hat starts playing 16th notes. This leads into the double-time feeling chorus, that is one of the catchiest on the albums. This song isn’t a personal favorite, but I understand why it’s a favorite of the community.
Skip a track and we arrive at one of my favorite tracks, “I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend” which features Angel Deradoorian (Dirty Projectors). One thing I really enjoy about this track is the contrast between the grimy beat and Ms. Deradoorian’s charming voice. She brings some Dirty Projector type harmonies to the track, really giving it a summery feel. “So Insane” is another fantastic hipster love song. Something about it just makes me feel happy. The discotech is also an awesome phrase I need to start incorporating more often. The transitions in speed are really cool, and the snare drum adds a whole dimension to the song.
Another favorite of mine is their cover of the Jackson 5 hit, “I Want You Back”. They created an auto-tuned, synthed out beauty, that couldn’t be coming at a more perfect time. I’ve gotten a little bit sick of the Michael Jackson mania, and this song is the perfect way to move away from it, without disrespecting the tragedy that occurred. I normally dislike auto-tune, but I’ve never experienced it in this context. It sucks when it layers Kanye moaning, but here it adds a great vibe to the song. The synth part is absolutely killer as well. It reminds me of a baseball organ, but instead of playing the seventh inning stretch song, it plays Jackson 5 tracks.
This album is becoming my go to album of the summer more and more every day, and with good reason. Every song has a happy vibe to it, capturing the theory of a side project perfectly. However, if they keep on making music like this, the term side project may be erased, and these guys will have their hands full with multiple acts to juggle. I’m sure they wouldn’t mind, though.
Buy the album here (LP or CD).
Discovery- I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend (Feat. Angel Deradoorian)
Comments (1)
Category: Albums,New Music,Reviews
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Comment by tiger
Made Friday, 10 of July , 2009 at 3:39 pm
“So Insane” is my favorite track. It will rise to the top. “I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend” is rad, too, but it’s all about Angel’s voice.
