Electro-indie wizard DNTEL (a.k.a Jimmy Tamborello) is back with another disc full of layered sounds and, like his previous albums, he’s gotten a little help from some friends. It can be a little worrisome when the “friends” you trot out are heavy-hitters in their own right like Grizzly Bear, Jenny Lewis and Conor Oberst. Will they end up stealing the album right out from underneath the artist who invited them on board in the first place?
It’s possible, but it doesn’t happen to distraction on Dumb Luck. Tamborello lets his guest stars shine for sure, but he’s clever enough to fade them quickly into the background once they’ve made their presence known. “To a Fault” which features the wonderful dreaminess of Grizzly Bear has the soft guitar plucking filtering in and out through the first half of the song before it gives way to a whole cacophony of sound that has everything including the kitchen sink thrown in. I think there’s a marching band in there somewhere, as well. It’s hard to achieve the right balance when going from one extreme to the other and this one leans a little too much and too quickly into hard electronic to be completely successful.
A better balance is struck though on the “Roll On” which features Jenny Lewis. At first, the Rilo Kiley front woman’s twangy voice sounds like it’s coming straight out of an antique victrola, but then the sound fades up into the Jenny we all know and most love. DNTEL’s electronica weaves in and out playing with her voice until a funky groove develops – think an old style beach party with just a drop of acid in the mix.
Speaking of being a little under the influence, the Conor Oberst track “Breakfast in Bed” gets lost in rolling waves of sound. Oberst is the kind of guy who, when he opens his mouth, you really want to listen to what he says. It’s a little difficult here since his voice his warped so much that he sounds like a drunken sailor being tossed about by the high seas.
The album gets back on track in a big way though with “Dreams” (featuring Mystic Chords of Memory). Everything works on this track. The layers of sound work beautifully together to create a perfect electronic symphony. |