Dntel - Life Is Full of Possibilities
Genre: Electronica
Before I begin this review, I'd like to say that I know there are a lot of genres and sub-genres and stuff; I'm sure that electronic/sample based music is no different. I put all electronic music into the category of "electronica" to be as general as possibe; sub-genres and whatnot are very confusing to me.
If you've ever heard of Dntel, you probably know him through The Postal Service, his collaboration with Benjamin Gibbard (the lead singer of Death Cab for Cutie). The Postal Service is also how I came to learn about this guy--in fact, I listened to them before I even knew who Death Cab for Cutie was. Then again, I really am never up-to-date with most music; sue me.
Anyway, there was something about this enigmatic Dntel guy's music that struck a chord in me. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but hoping to find more of that unknown "thing" I went and bought this CD completely on a whim. I remember the first time I put it into the CD player and was kinda hoping for Postal Service: The Prequel. In short, no, it wasn't that. But I'm glad that it wasn't because this CD really blew me away.
Not to say that this album and Give Up (The Postal Service's album) are polar opposites. In fact, the best song on this entire album, "(This Is) The Dream of Evan and Chan," actually has Ben Gibbard himself singing a couple of verses; apparently this is the song that ultimately led to the creation of The Postal Service.
However, "The Dream of Evan and Chan" is also an example of why this album is so different from Give Up. Instead of the focus being on the vocals, it's all about the beat and the music here. Dntel uses melodic and rhythmic bursts of white noise and a thumping techno-ish beat to create a really banging, yet grandiose, picture of sound. While Gibbard's lyrics are great, they just sound like more of a decoration than anything. I really can't explain just how awesome the beat and static fit together in this one; to top it off, Dntel pays really close attention to detail, and varies sounds, drum patterns, throughout. It was after listening to this song that I realized what it was about Dntel that I liked so much--it never got repetitive.
Folk singer Mia Doi Todd provides her kinda-husky voice for the wonderful standout "Anywhere Anyone." From the beginning, the song revolves around this very enveloping loop of ambient sound--makes me think of swimming in a really cold, crystal clear ocean. Out of it all emerges a very soft melody played with a xylophone-like tone as Todd's voice is put through the ringer of chops and loops.
"Why I'm So Unhappy" is a song in somewhat of the same vein as "Anywhere Anyone." Done in 3/4 time, this song moves about as fast as cold molasses, but man is it pretty. The whole thing is swathed in synthetic strings and an electric guitar melody. The drums for this are slow, but then at times go into a spastic, syncopated break that remind you that yes, Dntel has some frickin' rhythm. The vocals here are also manipulated with micropulses that make the girl's inhaling and singing sound like she's almost crying--all without being melodramatic.
When he's not putting voices on a cutting board, Dntel does something else that isn't heard with The Postal Service. This guy uses some BASS. The back-to-back-to-back show of tracks 4, 5, and 6 almost requires a subwoofer to be fully appreciated. Track 5, "Suddenly Is Sooner Than You Think," again features processed female vocals. While the main melody is played by a diced accordian, monster bass fades in and out, and finally the song comes to a climax with glitchy electronic percussion sounds and that bass coming in full force. Tracks 4 and 6 are instrumentals, and though they're minimal in approach, they both use bass to great effect. "Fear of Corners" is almost exclusively bass and very subtle, very groovy drum patterns, while the album's title track has a bubbling bass melody that accompanies ambient woodwinds and something that sounds like a foreboding digital wind.
In all honestly, Life Is Full of Possibilities is my all-time favorite electronica album. Dntel was really creative on this album and used a lot of ideas that I have yet to hear from any other electronic act. He doesn't rely on 250 BPM or hip-hop style drum patterns to carry his songs, and he manages to evoke some genuinely human feelings and thoughts from all his synthetic music. Sadly, his follow-up album Dumb Luck (released in 2007) was really disappointing because, unlike this album, he uses vocals on every song and puts the vocalist, not his actual music, at the forefront--in effect, trying to make Postal Service: The Sequel. Nevertheless, this is an amazing CD of really detailed music and I highly recommend it to anyone who likes electronic music or anyone who wants something fresh and different.
Track List:
1. Umbrella
2. Anywhere Anyone
3. Pillowcase
4. Fear of Corners
5. Suddenly Is Sooner Than You Think
6. Life Is Full of Possibilities
7. Why I'm So Unhappy
8. Fireworks
9. (This Is) The Dream of Evan and Chan
10. Last Songs
Rating: 8.5/10