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“ATTACK DECAY SUSTAIN RELEASE”
WHAT DAVE HERRERA THINKS: The British DJ duo Simian Mobile Disco offers a lot of blips, thumps and samples on their latest, “Attack Decay Sustain Release,” but take a long time to offer anything to latch onto.
The first half of tracks offer the same club-ready beats, at roughly the same tempo, which gets dull quickly. You quickly get used to that the drums will drop off for a little bit for the track to decrescendo before building back into itself.
Somewhere in the mix will be a voice sample, sometimes repeated near ad nauseam “I Got This Down”) and sometimes using a few different selections (“Hotdog”).
“Hustler” is the most entertaining of these types, an extended tale of being broke and robbing a record store.
After “Hustler,” the record’s second half is a little more varied.
“Love” brings in a frenetic tempo, with snare drum and hi-hat flying all over the place. There’s a sample from a real bass guitar, repetitive to the point of monotony, but a refreshing break from the samples.
“Scott,” a psychedelic trip through a series of staccato dots, takes out the drums entirely. “Clock” enters Kraftwerk territory in adding some darker themes, really the only we hear on the album.
These aren’t really saving graces though. Most of time, you just don’t have a reason to nod your head.
