Artist: Discovery
Album: LP
Year: 2009
Grade: 3.5 pretzels
Discovery is a musical collaboration that, from it's minimalist album title down, never pretends to be anything other than a side-project. Formed by Rostam Batmanglij, keyboardist with Vampire Weekend (aka, the Golden Calf of indie rock) and Wes Miles, the frontman of second-tier indie band Ra Ra Riot, LP is an album that could have very easily been irritating and inescapable over the course of the summer. However, Discovery’s music feels quick and fleeting, with the simplicity and lack of clutter that comes from quick, informal recording sessions. While this is a trait that often derails bands, Discovery manage to steer LP away from boring, forgettable sketches and actually create something more-or-less compelling.
On paper, descriptions of Discovery’s music sound borderline unlistenable. If someone came up to you and raved about two white kids who recorded electro-flavored interpretations of modern, hip-hop flavored R&B, you’d run screaming in the opposite direction (or, at least I would). Yet, for reasons that aren’t entirely clear, LP doesn’t sound as bad as that would imply. While all the tropes of modern R&B run rampant on the album, from the naggingly repetitive synths to the AutoTuned voices, Discovery keep themselves from overreaching, keeping their songs simple enough that they don’t sound completely overblown and ridiculous. The opening track, “Orange Shirt”, is a very good statement of intent for the band, as it represents the base style that all the other tracks on the album seem to grow out of.
Perhaps the album’s biggest strength is its avoidance of clichéd R&B sexually charged lyrics. If Discovery tried releasing an album full of R. Kelly-worthy innuendos, every music critic in the world would immediately cry “party foul!” over a couple of white indie rockers so clearly trying to ape R&B singers. However, by limiting themselves to fairly harmless lyrics about yearning and love and discos, Discovery keep things honest enough that they can be taken seriously. Even the presence of Vampire Weekend’s insufferable lead singer Ezra Koenig on “Carby” can’t ruin the genuinely enjoyable music on this album.
Now, there’s nothing particularly challenging about LP. It’s important to call the album for what it is: pastel-colored electro-pop for indie kids who need a summer soundtrack. It doesn’t break a lot of musical ground. However, it doesn’t need to. By keeping things simple and light, it avoids all the potholes music like this can so easily fall into. It even shoehorns a bit of hip edginess into the mix with the tense “It’s Not My Fault (It’s My Fault)". Throw in a token Jackson 5 cover (“I Want You Back”) for some requisite homage and cred and you’ve got a surprisingly pleasant album from very unexpected sources.
On paper, descriptions of Discovery’s music sound borderline unlistenable. If someone came up to you and raved about two white kids who recorded electro-flavored interpretations of modern, hip-hop flavored R&B, you’d run screaming in the opposite direction (or, at least I would). Yet, for reasons that aren’t entirely clear, LP doesn’t sound as bad as that would imply. While all the tropes of modern R&B run rampant on the album, from the naggingly repetitive synths to the AutoTuned voices, Discovery keep themselves from overreaching, keeping their songs simple enough that they don’t sound completely overblown and ridiculous. The opening track, “Orange Shirt”, is a very good statement of intent for the band, as it represents the base style that all the other tracks on the album seem to grow out of.
Perhaps the album’s biggest strength is its avoidance of clichéd R&B sexually charged lyrics. If Discovery tried releasing an album full of R. Kelly-worthy innuendos, every music critic in the world would immediately cry “party foul!” over a couple of white indie rockers so clearly trying to ape R&B singers. However, by limiting themselves to fairly harmless lyrics about yearning and love and discos, Discovery keep things honest enough that they can be taken seriously. Even the presence of Vampire Weekend’s insufferable lead singer Ezra Koenig on “Carby” can’t ruin the genuinely enjoyable music on this album.
Now, there’s nothing particularly challenging about LP. It’s important to call the album for what it is: pastel-colored electro-pop for indie kids who need a summer soundtrack. It doesn’t break a lot of musical ground. However, it doesn’t need to. By keeping things simple and light, it avoids all the potholes music like this can so easily fall into. It even shoehorns a bit of hip edginess into the mix with the tense “It’s Not My Fault (It’s My Fault)". Throw in a token Jackson 5 cover (“I Want You Back”) for some requisite homage and cred and you’ve got a surprisingly pleasant album from very unexpected sources.
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