Electronics and pop don’t always mix well. Before you point out fizzy pop over an electronic plug is never a good combination I want to make it clear I’m referring to music. Too many futuristic beats and you can end up sounding like a robot on acid or an over-done Star Trek theme tune. The conclusion is that it’s a dangerous area to go into if you’re not already extremely cock-sure of yourself. Dan Black certainly isn’t that (yet) but he has confidently waded into the depths of electro-pop on his debut album to see if he can pull a rabbit (or a robot) out of the hat.
For the vast majority of ‘((un))’ he pulls it off in spades. Take the sumptuous peaks and troughs of ‘Ecstacy’ - a track which floats on strings and punching background beats. This is electronic pop at its most sincere. Black isn’t afraid to make chart bothering material either with tracks like ‘U + me’ and ‘Yours’ pulling off a pop-chic of their very own. ‘Symphonies’ is a beautiful slice of strings and pop which melds into one happy melting pot.
The bigger gambles don’t always pay off however. ‘Pump my Pumps’ is a party-pop tune that gets lost in vocoders while ‘Life Slash Dreams’ is a bit too sincere for its own good. But in fairness to Black there’s enough inspiration here to make this a debut album to laud and not put down. ‘Let Go’ is an end-of-the-night chill out track on par with the Streets’ ‘Weak Becomes Heroes’.
The true highlight is ‘Alone’ which snakes from slap bass funk to soaring pop chorus and back again. With a good balance of bass, vocoder and beats it is one of most satisfying and intensely addictive pop tracks of the year.
‘((un))’ is a mix of quiet introspection and dancefloor dominating beats and it’s this juxtaposition which makes it such an enjoyable ride. He could produce 12 replica tracks and sell them by the bucket load so credit where it’s due for mixing things up and trying some variety. It may not work out every time but ‘((un))’ is an enjoyable and exciting selection of electro-pop which can stand alone against the best debuts we’ve seen this year.
- by Chris Reynolds
- July 14, 2009