Doldrums - Empire Sound

Our review
Customer reviews
Press release

4...according to our Clinton on Fri 25 Nov, 2011.

Now that I've opened up and admitted the thing that all readers of these reviews over the past few years will ave known for a long long time, namely I don't have a fucking clue what I'm talking about, the pressure is off. Giving me this record is like giving it to Syd Little and asking him what he reckons. The track everyones going mental about on the internet appears to be 'Endless Winter' which actually appears on the flip of this record. If you play in order then you get a load jazzy excursions in avant funk/hip hop which sounds something like The Pop Group collaborating with Prefuse 73. 'Endless Winter' however, whilst still, pursuing the ideal lop sided groove, has a lovely tuneful glacial feel to it, helped by excellent lady (i think!) vocals that sound not unlike Laura Veirs. I suppose you could relate it to Animal Collective if you were looking for a general ball park type comparison. It chaotic stuff and really all over the place sylistically, on 'Tantrum' for example it melds crackly cut up beats with the sort of plaintive vocal heard on weepy reggae numbers. Its not an easy listen however, this guy, really does like his staccato beats but its one of those records when it sounds so much its own thing and devoid of influence that it could just be the start of something new. On the other hand of course, I could just be waffling complete bollocks.

The work of Doldrums - 21 year old Airick Woodhead - floats in a sea of chopped up samples, disembodied vocals and tribal percussion. Spearing between electro-hallucinogenic freak outs and fuzzy warm nostalgia his tracks somehow manage to elevate classic pop melodies above a sample saturated sound collage. After gaining notoriety in his native Toronto through performances in art galleries and flash parties in abandoned spaces, 2010 saw Airick release both a 7" single on hometown label We Are Busy Bodies and a VHS only mixtape of his own tracks. Since then he's toured with his close friend and, after a move to Montreal, new neighbor Grimes and cut a split single with DDMMYYYY. New tracks then fell in to the hands of cult London indie label No Pain In Pop - who released Grimes herself earlier this year - and were quickly confirmed for release as 'Empire Sound', his debut EP. Combining the beautiful boudoir pop of contemporaries Atlas Sound, Panda Bear or How To Dress Well with Doldrums' own enthralling post-punk magpie tendencies, 'Endless Winter' hangs a widescreen chorus over a dewy eyed, sample-heavy backing; 'Tantrum', frazzled and scattered yet perfectly in tune with itself, is the perfect foil for Woodhouse's tenor voice; and 'Lost In My Head' stands as a frighteningly accurate self-diagnosis of his work as a whole - chaotic, seemingly random and yet inherently spectacular, a whole new world for listeners to explore.

Be the first to review this record. Best reviewer each month gets £10 off their next order!