02-03-2013, 20:36
online listen
that was strange
I guess the clip sums it up
1.1 from me and a converted 2.4 from allmusic
from the album - She Is The Wave
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vIP2ZEnxnc
released Feb 26th, 2013
![[Image: MI0003470313.jpg?partner=allrovi.com]](http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_250/MI0003/470/MI0003470313.jpg?partner=allrovi.com)
Bio - from allmusic
Coming up in the late-2000s noise scene of Montreal, electronic producer Airick Woodhead began
his solo project Doldrums in 2010. Melding different aspects of electronic sequencing and noisy
sample-based sounds with hypnotic pop structures, Doldrums quickly emerged in a series of
random tracks, 7" singles, remixes, and even a VHS collection of videos. In 2011 Portishead was
so moved by Doldrums' cover version of their song "Chase the Tear" that they included his
version as the B-side of a single release of their original version. His growing profile
resulted in the release of a debut EP, Empire Sound, that same year, followed by the Egypt 12"
in 2012. Through this time, Doldrums was touring extensively in a three-person stage version of
the band, playing shows with contemporaries like Grimes and Purity Ring. A debut full-length,
Lesser Evil, materialized in early 2013, gathering together the best of Doldrums' scattershot
sounds into the project's most cohesive expression yet.
Album Review - from allmusic
Montreal electronic producer Airick Woodhead's songs as Doldrums find a glimmering patchwork of
electronic hybrids and wild combinations on his full-length debut Lesser Evil. Following a
series of less traditional outlets for the release of his music (including a VHS video
compilation, not exactly the most popular medium for distribution at the time of its 2010
release), Lesser Evil feels like the crystallization of Doldrums' body of work, centralizing
all of the random tracks and unfinished thoughts into one cohesive, accessible part. After the
scattershot "Fantasia Intro," Doldrums' approach snaps into focus with the stand-out track
"Anomaly." A pulsing beat competes with fragmented samples of Woodhead's unhinged vocals,
creating an atmosphere as brooding as it is playful. Somewhere between early-'90s club
production à la the Pet Shop Boys and the woozy, cough-syrup electronics that are decidedly the
product of kids who grew up with the internet, Doldrums finds its sound. Bleakness and
desperation are in almost every line, but it comes with the flippant knowledge that every pain
and joy will be almost immediately forgotten. The relentless ADD buzz of "She Is the Wave"
reinforces this, with a blinding glut of distorted, technicolor samples informed by both
chiptunes mania and the nauseated, psychedelic gutter-draggings of Black Dice. Woodhead somehow
manages to sing with connective thoughtfulness over this din of stimuli, which quickly
disappears into "Sunrise," a relatively gentler slice of summery sadness. The weird collage of
contradictory sounds and sharp contrasts that makes up Lesser Evil ultimately compresses into a
singular expression of Woodhead's unique sonic personality. With no shortage of jarring sounds,
abrupt endings, and seemingly impossible combinations, it's hard to take the music in as
anything besides a direct reflection of the oddly captivating person making it. Much like his
contemporary Grimes' breakthrough moments on Visions or, going further back, the earliest
Burial tracks, or further back still, the 1981 Eno/Byrne collaboration My Life in the Bush of
Ghosts, Lesser Evil is a brilliantly disjointed affair, getting by on raw imagination and
openness to the unfathomable. Strangely, it's hard to see the less successful moments of this
approach as failures. The trancy album centerpiece "Egypt" rides a busy rhythm of glitches,
overflowing with gurgly samples and barely holding on to an almost Jane's Addiction-like vocal
melody. It's not pretty and shouldn't work, but the constant mismatch of elements in songs like
this somehow resonate as transfixing and beautiful in their messy weirdness. It's a rare
accomplishment to squeeze clarity out of utter confusion and navigate chaos with control rather
than abandon, but that's exactly what Lesser Evil is all about. The density of the album might
take a while to sink into, but its catchiness will keep the listener returning to try to crack
the code. Eventually, you'll realize there's no way to completely understand this mesmerizing
mess, but that doesn't make it any less fun to keep trying to.
Track Listing
1. Intro
2. Anomaly
3. She Is The Wave (Ft. Guy Dallas)
4. Sunrise
5. Egypt
6. Holographic Sandcastles (Ft. Sami Nacomi)
7. Singularity Acid Face
8. Lesser Evil
9. Golden Calf
10. Lost In Everyone
11. Painted Black
that was strange
I guess the clip sums it up
1.1 from me and a converted 2.4 from allmusic
from the album - She Is The Wave
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vIP2ZEnxnc
released Feb 26th, 2013
Bio - from allmusic
Coming up in the late-2000s noise scene of Montreal, electronic producer Airick Woodhead began
his solo project Doldrums in 2010. Melding different aspects of electronic sequencing and noisy
sample-based sounds with hypnotic pop structures, Doldrums quickly emerged in a series of
random tracks, 7" singles, remixes, and even a VHS collection of videos. In 2011 Portishead was
so moved by Doldrums' cover version of their song "Chase the Tear" that they included his
version as the B-side of a single release of their original version. His growing profile
resulted in the release of a debut EP, Empire Sound, that same year, followed by the Egypt 12"
in 2012. Through this time, Doldrums was touring extensively in a three-person stage version of
the band, playing shows with contemporaries like Grimes and Purity Ring. A debut full-length,
Lesser Evil, materialized in early 2013, gathering together the best of Doldrums' scattershot
sounds into the project's most cohesive expression yet.
Album Review - from allmusic
Montreal electronic producer Airick Woodhead's songs as Doldrums find a glimmering patchwork of
electronic hybrids and wild combinations on his full-length debut Lesser Evil. Following a
series of less traditional outlets for the release of his music (including a VHS video
compilation, not exactly the most popular medium for distribution at the time of its 2010
release), Lesser Evil feels like the crystallization of Doldrums' body of work, centralizing
all of the random tracks and unfinished thoughts into one cohesive, accessible part. After the
scattershot "Fantasia Intro," Doldrums' approach snaps into focus with the stand-out track
"Anomaly." A pulsing beat competes with fragmented samples of Woodhead's unhinged vocals,
creating an atmosphere as brooding as it is playful. Somewhere between early-'90s club
production à la the Pet Shop Boys and the woozy, cough-syrup electronics that are decidedly the
product of kids who grew up with the internet, Doldrums finds its sound. Bleakness and
desperation are in almost every line, but it comes with the flippant knowledge that every pain
and joy will be almost immediately forgotten. The relentless ADD buzz of "She Is the Wave"
reinforces this, with a blinding glut of distorted, technicolor samples informed by both
chiptunes mania and the nauseated, psychedelic gutter-draggings of Black Dice. Woodhead somehow
manages to sing with connective thoughtfulness over this din of stimuli, which quickly
disappears into "Sunrise," a relatively gentler slice of summery sadness. The weird collage of
contradictory sounds and sharp contrasts that makes up Lesser Evil ultimately compresses into a
singular expression of Woodhead's unique sonic personality. With no shortage of jarring sounds,
abrupt endings, and seemingly impossible combinations, it's hard to take the music in as
anything besides a direct reflection of the oddly captivating person making it. Much like his
contemporary Grimes' breakthrough moments on Visions or, going further back, the earliest
Burial tracks, or further back still, the 1981 Eno/Byrne collaboration My Life in the Bush of
Ghosts, Lesser Evil is a brilliantly disjointed affair, getting by on raw imagination and
openness to the unfathomable. Strangely, it's hard to see the less successful moments of this
approach as failures. The trancy album centerpiece "Egypt" rides a busy rhythm of glitches,
overflowing with gurgly samples and barely holding on to an almost Jane's Addiction-like vocal
melody. It's not pretty and shouldn't work, but the constant mismatch of elements in songs like
this somehow resonate as transfixing and beautiful in their messy weirdness. It's a rare
accomplishment to squeeze clarity out of utter confusion and navigate chaos with control rather
than abandon, but that's exactly what Lesser Evil is all about. The density of the album might
take a while to sink into, but its catchiness will keep the listener returning to try to crack
the code. Eventually, you'll realize there's no way to completely understand this mesmerizing
mess, but that doesn't make it any less fun to keep trying to.
Track Listing
1. Intro
2. Anomaly
3. She Is The Wave (Ft. Guy Dallas)
4. Sunrise
5. Egypt
6. Holographic Sandcastles (Ft. Sami Nacomi)
7. Singularity Acid Face
8. Lesser Evil
9. Golden Calf
10. Lost In Everyone
11. Painted Black
