Xander Duell - Experimental Tape No2. Vol 1

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4...according to our Mike on Thu 12 May, 2011.

A peculiar and very limited LP of experimental pop on Mexican Summer. Judging by the cover and title alone I was expecting a bunch of solo bedroom meditations, but this is very much an experimental modern take on 70s soul. The influences do range further than that, and this guy clearly knows his stuff, but at its heart this record seems to be an attempt to recreate the soul and r'n'b sounds of the seventies through a modern lo-fi filter. Some of the songs are quite upbeat, but the majority are a little bit drifty and sad, in an Ariel Pinky kind of way, and he occasionally resorts to heavily processing his vocals, which I'm not entirely convinced by but that's really just a matter of aesthetic preference. There's a song on the second side that sounds like something off Berlin by Lou Reed. This whole thing seems like a right old labour of love.

It’s going to take more than the space provided here to sum up the ideas and talent of NYC’s Xander Duell, who has fused decades’ worth of nuance into these thirteen songs. The implication in the title of this one is at least somewhat correct in that the experimental nature of Duell’s music rears its head in style and content atop songwriting that touches the emotional core without hesitation or regret. There is joy and sadness here, electronics and guitars, grandeur alongside the neon-lit sleaze. Calibrate your expectations appropriately on this one, but be prepared to have them shattered by this outsider work, in the spirit of Scott Walker’s numbered albums and the prime cut of ‘70s soft rock.

Tracklisting:

Side 1

Dash
Live & Learn
Diamonds Are Dizzy
Emma Baby
Good Morning Rhode Island
[Square]
Kathy's Crown

Side 2

Limbo
X (I Don't Wanna Go Home)
Eyeball (Obama Wins Mississippi)
Big River
F Is For Flappp
Denver Mourning