One of the three founding members of Merck, the two
others being Travis Stewart, better known as Machine
Drum, and Proswell main man Joseph Misra, Austin-based
Richard Bailey returns with his fourth album, following
his two first offerings on CD, Burn Plate No. 1,
released in 1999 on the now defunct Hydrant Records,
and Negativ, published on Merck in 2001, as
well as the MiniDisc-only release, Among Others,
also released in 2001 on Oakland-based independent label
n5MD.
With previous releases, Bailey demonstrated a taste
for syncopated beats and funky electro-glitch, yet,
with Among Others, he was exploring darker,
sterner sonic territories, switching the focus of his
compositions from break-core electronica to something
more refined and emotional. With Socially Inept,
he develops further this approach, retaining the voluptuous
soundscapes of his earlier work while giving more emphasis
on melodies and atmospheres. Socially Inept
is a stunning display of beautifully constructed electronica,
with crisp beat sequences and silky analog sounds, reminiscent
in part of Boards Of Canada.
The sonic structures here are however far more upfront,
the lines cleaner and more defined, and the atmospheric
elements remain simple background interferences, providing
grain and texture without intruding on the musical themes.
Bailey's palette is extremely varied, ranging from treated
human voice (I Don’t Know How To Tell,
When Frailty Fails) to elegant synthetic waves
(Place Gun To Head) to ambient and dub (Da.Vironmint)
and acoustic templates (Deep Like Airline Failure),
yet there appears to be a common ground for these to
develop as Socially Inept sounds very consistent
all the way through. The scope is warm and the melodies
are subtle yet powerful, with great emphasis on the
emotional aspects of the music. From the opening moments
of I Don’t Know How To Tell, it is clear
that Bailey’s music has slowed down, become more
mature and human. Mostly keeping his compositions under
the five-minute mark, Bailey presents with this album
a series of concise, yet perfectly developed pieces.
This doesn’t mean however that his tracks are
cluttered. In fact, Bailey seems to work around spaces
and silences as much as with sounds, allowing for vast
organic soundscapes to develop freely.
Very much in touch with the more laidback and melodic
side of the electronic scene, Richard Bailey shows here
how influential and forward thinking his work has been
so far. Far from dropping his guard, he continues his
journey through electronic music with confidence on
this fourth album. A sure sign of maturity from the
man.
4.2/5 |
