Album Reviews

 

Discovery is one part Ra Ra Riot, and one part Vampire Weekend.  A member from each band has come together to create a soft-core electro ‘hip-hop’ duo.   Although there is not actually any ‘rapping’ I think it is appropriate to incorporate hip-hop into the group’s classification.  The groups first LP, is entitled ‘LP’ and is a very interesting piece of work.  It is probably not what you would expect when considering the sounds of Ra Ra Riots and Vampire Weekend, but it is definitely worth checking out.

Listening to discovery is like attending a strobe-lightless rave in slow motion.  The beats are very electric, and extremely busy.  The music is very detailed with many layers, and the vocals are saturated with filters.  I am not sure if it is the elusive ‘autotune’ that is being used; however many of the songs sound as though the vocal performances were outsourced to robots.   There is a reoccurring theme of Japan throughout the album; with songs like “Osaka Loop Line”, and lyrics like “sleep on the train to Tokyo, Google yourself when you get home”. This Japanese theme seems appropriate considering how busy and ‘techy’ the music is.

 

Despite my comments sounding negative, I would definitely recommend Discovery to most music fans, although I would like to issue a safety warning to anyone with epilepsy, as it is very probable that Discovery could induce a seizure.  I might also recommend avoiding listening to Discovery while participating in activities requiring a great degree of concentration such as golfing or performing surgeries.  Some highlights of the album are the above-mentioned ‘Osaka Loop Line’ and the cover of The Jackson Five’s ‘I Want You Back’.  I think Discovery will surprise you. Give it a chance.

 

 

---