Customer Reviews

LP

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Discovery is a collaboration between Wes Miles (the frontman of Ra Ra Riot) and Rostam Batmanglij (the keyboardist of Vampire Weekend). Their fruitful sessions together, during which a few completed tracks and a handful of remixes have floated around music blogs over the past few months, have led to the side project's first full length simply titled "LP". Considering the impressive talent pool involved and those excellent pre-release samples, it's no surprise this record has remained in the stratosphere of indie fans for months now. Now that it's finally hit the streets, the blogs are abuzz with excitement (or at the very least a warm welcome) for these ten tracks. Take note that "LP" is not flawless, but it may very well be one of the most celebrated records of the year, and if nothing else it's without question one of the most fun.

"LP" is glitzy, effervescent, and rife with high-spirited synth riffs and beats. In addition, Discovery utilize auto-tune on a few tracks which gives the vocals that familiar R&B vibe. It's a silly gimmick, borderline kitschy even, but one which is admittedly easy on the ears and undeniably catchy. The key to auto-tune is that it only works if used in moderation, which is why obsessive artists like Kanye West should be kept away from it (of course, I don't think "moderation" is in his vocabulary, but I digress). Perhaps the most laconic way to describe Discovery's sound is to say they're very similar to Passion Pit, whose recent release Manners is a perfect companion disc to "LP".

Though I'm obviously a fan of this record, it's interesting to note that upon the first spin of the disc I was intially unimpressed with the meandering first track "Orange Shirt". It sounds like an underproduced demo, the lack of direction being especially evident halfway through with a repeating synth wave that's more obnoxious than pleasant. It's a welcome surprise, then, to realize that "Orange Shirt" is one of the weakest tracks here. Second track "Osaka Loop Line" (that just sounds like a Vampire Weekend song title, doesn't it?) suitably follows up in much finer style. There's a half acre of glorious synth on this record, and the deeper you go the better it gets.

Seventh track "Carby", clocking in right at a concise three minutes, hooked me from the beginning with the aforementioned auto-tune usage and the prevalent eighties sensibilities permeating every note. I fear that description might undersell the track, because there's no reason to feel that this is derivative work here (even though third track "Can You Discover" is merely a slight re-working of "Can You Tell" by Ra Ra Riot). "LP" is a pitch perfect summer record, whether on a beach or poolside. "Swing Tree" is sunny and upbeat, "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend" is a trivial yet bouncy tune, and "I Want You Back" is perhaps the most epic track on the record, encapsulating it's lofty amourous ambitions in only three and a half minutes.

Discovery is hardly alone in their genre, one that's becomingly increasingly crowded as it appears to be the 'sound of the moment'. I'm referencing artists like Datarock, Patrick Wolf, Empire of the Sun, Chromeo, Filthy Dukes, Does It Offend You Yeah, Deastro, Friendly Fires etc. These, along with plenty of female fronted acts like Cicada, Ladyhawke, Cansei de Ser Sexy, Little Boots etc. and even some prominent French artists like Viva le Fete and Yelle - all of these fall under the broad umbrella of indie electro pop like the sort found on "LP". This sort of genre over-saturation causes many acts to sound the same after awhile, talent notwithstanding.

Still, Discovery rise to the level of their contemporaries in that there's an earnest facility to their work. There are few modern synth records as grand as "LP", the aforementioned Passion Pit one certainly qualifies. Perhaps most notably The Postal Service delivered a landmark synth record in 2003. Genre champions Cut Copy and MGMT released milestone albums just last year. Yet Discovery isn't trying to emulate these acts, they aren't quite as dance-oriented and favor being energetically brash rather than immediately accessible. "LP" is a warm groove, combining the best elements of both Vampire Weekend and Ra Ra Riot and coalescing them into the synth near-masterpiece you have before you. This is definitely worth shelling out a Hamilton for!

P.S. Isn't that a great album cover? The beauty is in its simplicity.

Also of related interest:
Vampire Weekend Vampire Weekend (New album due later this year)
Ra Ra Riot The Rhumb Line
MGMT Oracular Spectacular (New album rumored to be released in Jan. 2010)
Cut Copy In Ghost Colours
Frankmusik Better Off As Two

I'm glad I ignored the negative reviews and went ahead with my purchase. "Orange Shirt" has been floating around the web for months, and remains the best new song I've heard this year. What really struck me about it was that it was essentially a contemporary R&B song (think The-Dream) as performed by lo-fi indie pop musicians. If you are like me and you have a history of enjoying indie pop, but also have a love of modern R&B and hip-hop, this record is a dream come true. They tread through The-Dream inspired synths and melodies, 808s & Heartbreaks-esque auto tuned vocals (don't hate, they are used effectively and thoughtfully), and even an unexpected cover of the Jackson 5's "I Want You Back." If you're one of those people who only likes "rock" music and does not appreciate hip hop and R&B, you will not like this album. If you enjoy many different styles or music, this inspired and jubilant fusion should prove to be a very exciting listen.

This is a great album to dance to our just chill out with for summer 2009 and beyond! Thank you Discovery!

I have no real knowledge of Ra Ra Riot or Vampire Weekend, but I'd heard MGMT and was pulled in by a reviewer that mentioned them. I bought it for the Amazon sale price and I have really enjoyed it. There is a wide variety of stuff although it's all electronic, I guess. I like the tempo changes in 'So Insane'. I think there are interesting things happening in all of the songs. Give it a listen.

At least 4 or 5 great songs on this album--last reviewer was harsh. Creative song structures--you can't skip out on "So Insane"'s great tempo changes or "Swing Tree." Good stuff.

Saw the bad review on here and was a bit scared! Took at change on the Jackson 5 cover and it was better than expected. If you're into acts like USE or MGMT, you'll probably like this one. Better than most of the house/electronic/techno stuff on here and certainly worth Amazon's sale price.

People seem to either absolutely love or despise Discovery, which is a side project from Ra Ra Riot's Wes Miles and Vampire Weekend's Rostam Batmanglij. I absolutely love it. "Orange Shirt," the album's super-catchy and melodic first track, is my pick for song of the year. "Osaka Loop Line" and "So Insane" are other album highlights, and "I Want You Back" is a fun, ethereal cover of the Jackson 5 original. If this album doesn't convince you that Batmanglij is one of indie rock's most promising up-and-comers, I don't know what will.

Everyone who has heard this record is either loving or hating this floaty, beat-heavy almost experimental-in-nature pop record. The opening track, "Orange Shirt" is not all that impressive, still you IMMEDIATELY recognize what this group is after in the tracks on this album. There is a digital, R&B, rhythmic feeling to each of the tracks and while it may be subtle in the first few tracks, as the record continues it is EASY to become hooked to each special little melodic touch which can be found in the individual songs.
Track 2, "Osaka Loop Line" throws you right into the meat and potatoes of this record with some light auto-tune, a tempo change, some neat synth legatos and a nifty background beat that almost sounds 8-bit in nature. Track 4, "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend" is a fun little track which uses the same sample for the chorus and over the course of the song, bends and distorts the sample to an almost comical level. You will still nod your head to the beat.
Which brings me to track 5, "So Insane", which I can honestly say is one of my favorite tracks of any band, ever. The song utilizes an awesome tempo change and an extremely nifty casio-esque background beat. Very upbeat, the lyrics remind me of a band like Pheonix mixed with a cool electro-pop band. Listen to the album in numerical order because track 6 is almost just as good as 5.

All in all, I can easily say it's one of my favorite albums ever. Screw the reviews, you need to hear this album and make your own decisions about it.

This album really shows the variety that these two indie rockers have. If you're a hater of the drum machine and poppy synths, you need to get past it already - it's just too fun to listen to. Don't let your prejudice against the auto-tune (only used in a few tracks) keep you from enjoying this!

For a lil taste find the songs: Can You Discover, So Insane, Carby.

Fantastic album. Vampire Weekend? No. Ra Ra Riot? No. Wonderful artists from both bands? Yes. Believe me this album is solid. If you are looking for some radio r&b pop music this isn't exactly it. It has touches of that style to it, although it takes listeners to an obviously different place. If you have an open mind for music, you will surely dig it. If you can't stand the T-Pain tube in mouth singing style then, well, you'll get use to it :) Honestly this is an easy catchy album. People will enjoy it if you play it while hanging out as background music. Also it is a fantastic album if you are driving around, you know, stuck in traffic. The concept of this album is I feel original. You can bounce to it, move to it, and relate to it. For some obvious reasons here and there it reminds me of Zapp and Roger, especially the Zapp track "Computer Love" for those who know who Zapp is you'll understand what I mean after a few listens. "Computer Love" = "Can You Discover" I won't go into all these fanatic details about the album but trust me, buy it, burn it, or whatever just enjoy this wonderful album.