Dumb Luck

Dntel

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 24, 2007)
• Original Release Date: April 24, 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sub Pop
• ASIN: B000NQR7SO
• In-Print Editions: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #140,645 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

There's nothing accidental about Dumb Luck, the latest project from Jimmy Tamborello (The Postal Service, Figurines). True, the record's fractured electronics always seem serendipitous, this close to collapsing completely, and held together by dental floss. But that feeling results from the meticulous and deliberate way Tamborello handles those bursts of splintered sound, and his ability to elevate just the right snippet or melodic string to provide a toehold for the listener. The contributions of guest vocalists help out more than a little as well; on "To A Fault," Grizzly Bear's Ed Droste floats his wandering tenor between interludes of ecstatic noise, while Jenny Lewis grounds "Roll On" in a gentle country vibe. And then there's "Rock My Boat," in which the electronics mostly take a backseat to Mia Doi Todd's delicate, pillow-soft tones. At its core however, the record is powered by Tamborello's arsenal of beats, scratches and sound effects. Against that ragged digitized background, every song sounds dense and interesting. But it's his skill with blending that experimentation into solidly structured and appealing tunes that makes the record special. If computers had hearts, Tamborello's messy laptop poetry could teach them how to fall in love. --Matthew Cooke

Product Description

An album five years in the making, and Jimmy Tamborello's first for Sub Pop. Thick with his signature sampler finessing, warm electronic washes, and genius beat placement, "Dumb Luck" is an album lyrically as much about human distance as connection. Includes vocal contributions from Jenny Lewis (Rilo Kiley), Edward Droste (Grizzly Bear), Valerie Trebeljahr and Markus Acher (Lali Puna), Mia Doi Todd, Grant Olsen and Sonya Westcott (Arthur & Yu), Andrew Broder (Fog), Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes), and Christopher and Jennifer Gunst (Mystic Chords Of Memory).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Blurs the line that separates Dntel from Jimmy Tamborello's other projects., April 9, 2007

By	Cale E. Reneau "audiooverflow.com" (Conroe, Texas United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

It has been six years since Dntel last released a full-length album. Since that time, Jimmy Tamborello has undergone quite a transformation; from underground electro programmer to full-fledged indie pop god. Whether he was busy being one half of the uber-successful The Postal Service or putting out albums as James Figurine, Tamborello has found countless ways to stay busy. "Dumb Luck," the long-awaited follow up to 2001's "Life Is Full of Possibilities," sounds like an expected mixture of everything that Tamborello has accomplished over the last six years. In doing so, it largely abandons the sound that separated Dntel from Tamborello's numerous other projects.

The lead-off and title track, "Dumb Luck" features Tamborello's stylistically unflattering voice offering tidbits of self-pity such as, "Don't forget that it's dumb luck that got you here" or "you can't trust your friends, they will betray you." The song begins with the largely disjointed flutterings of Jimmy's production, but eventually collapses into a simple acoustic guitar with minimal electronic effects in the background. It is a decent song, but like most songs sung by Tamborello (i.e. James Figurine's 2006 album), the production value far outweighs the vocal performance.

In many ways, it feels as if "Dumb Luck" is less of a Dntel album and more of a "Jimmy Tamborello featuring All of His Friends" album. Aside from the title track, every song is sung by a guest performer. Some of these tracks work rather well, while others feel stale and generally unmemorable.

"To a Fault" featuring Grizzly Bear, for example, is a rater awesome track. Here, it actually sounds like a Dntel song should sound like, with minimal emphasis placed on vocals and more on everything else. As such, most of the song is comprised of evidence of Tamborello's unwavering skills as a producer/programmer and it stands out as one of the better songs on the album. On the contrary, "Roll On" is dominated by Jenny Lewis' trademark quasi-country voice and as a result the song sounds absolutely nothing like any other Dntel song to date. Like so many other songs on the album, it features the standard "verse/chorus/verse/chorus" setup. Tamborello's skills are entirely subdued here, and one has to wonder what even classifies this as Dntel and not James Figurine or The Postal Service (aside from the fact that that's what Tamborello says it is).

"Rock My Boat" featuring Mia Doi Todd, is a pretty good song that does a fantastic job of balancing the talents of both artists. Even if it's a bit clichéd to hear an artist sing, "You rock my boat," Mia Doi Todd does a fantastic job of complementing Tamborello's stellar song. Similarly, Andrew Broder offers up the best vocal performance of the album on "Natural Resources." At it's best moments, the song sounds like it could have been pulled right off of Radiohead's Kid A.

Arguably, the most notable vocalist on the album is Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes on "Breakfast In Bed." However, Oberst tones down his trademark emotionally wrought vocals and presents a completely uninspired melody, sounding almost exactly like another one of his songs, "Kathy With a Ks Song" (without the aforementioned emotion). Though his emotionally-vacant vocals actually blend rather well with Tamborello's song, one can't help be disappointed by their absence.

Overall, Dntel's "Dumb Luck" should satisfy any fan of The Postal Service or James Figurine. However, Dntel fans who were expecting a revival of the artist's unrivaled sound from previous albums might be a little disappointed. Personally, though I enjoy this album a lot, I can't help but feel a bit cheated. I am a huge Dntel fan, and this album offers nothing that would even suggest that this is the same Tamborello moniker. If the artist insists on using multiple monikers to promote his music, he should do a better job of defining each one. "Dumb Luck," though good, sounds absolutely nothing previous Dntel albums, and more like everything else Tamborello has done in recent years...for better or for worse.

Recommended for fans of The Postal Service, James Figurine, or any of the artists who lend their vocals to this album.

Key Tracks:
1. "To A Fault (featuring Grizzly Bear)"
2. "I'd Like to Know (featuring Lali Puna)"
3. "Rock My Boat (featuring Mia Doi Todd)"
4. "Natural Resources (featuring Andrew Broder of Fog)"

6 out of 10 Stars

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dntel Fans, Worry Not!, November 13, 2007

By	Music Fan "Beau" (Southern California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dumb Luck (MP3 Download)

I was put onto Dntel by a friend a while back, and I loved their two previous album. Thus, I was very excited by this new release, and had VERY high expectations. Fortunately, even my elitism wasn't disappointed harshly. I love the dreamy songs, and adore the pensive ones too. The standout track is "Breakfast in Bed" featuring Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes; I can't get enough of it.

Hopefully, you'll purchase and enjoy!

5.0 out of 5 stars Genius, November 1, 2007

By	Alex Leone (New Jersey) - See all my reviews

Jimmy Tamborello is one of my favorite electronic musicians. His new CD "Dumb Luck" is a quite a departure from "Life is Full of Possibilities." The CD is an amazing mix of Electronic and Acoustic music. It blends Jimmy's electronic style well with the guitars and vocals provided by his guests. He is one of the best around, and highly under-appreciated. His work is totally original, and always fresh and new and inspiring. I give this 5/5 stars.