NewMusic First Spin: Discovery
July 3rd, 2009
Discovery is equal parts Rostam Batmanglij and Wes Miles. If their names sound remotely familiar, that’s because you’ve most likely heard their other bands. Batmanglij spends most of his time playing the organ and miscellaneous instruments in Vampire Weekend, while Miles is better known as frontman for Ra Ra Riot.
Formed back in 2005, Discovery has finally come to fruition with a debut album simply titled LP. Anyone expecting similarities to either member’s other bands will be both a bit disappointed and plenty surprised by what this pair have come up with. Though it can be argued that some of the shuffling rhythms and rich harmonies resemble the Afro-inspired pop of VW, Discovery is a rather minimal project built around simple ideas “where everyone plays synthesizers” and “handclaps keep the backbeat instead of snares drums.”
The results are a shimmering blend of pulsating electronics and vibrant, Caribbean harmonies recorded with a delightfully lo-fi slant. The two share the vocals along with guest takes by Batmanglij’s VW bandmate Ezra Koenig (“Carby”) and Angel Deradoorian from the Dirty Projectors (“I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend”), which presents a rainbow of melodies as sweet and colourful as a Skittles ad campaign.
Not unlike Ben Gibbard and Jimmy Tamberello’s über successful one-off stint as the Postal Service, Discovery is an unexpectedly enjoyable venture between two parties on vacation from their day jobs.
Listen to it Here
Artist: Discovery
Album: LP
Release Date: July 7, 2009
Label: XL Recordings
Genre: Indie Pop/Rock
Author: Cam Lindsay
Track Listing:
1. Orange Shirt
2. Osaka Loop Line
3. Can You Discover?
4. I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend [ft. Angel Deradoorian]
5. So Insane
6. Swing Tree
7. Carby [ft. Ezra Koenig]
8. I Want You Back
9. It’s Not My Fault (It’s My Fault)
10. Slang Tang
Posted on Friday, July 3rd, 2009 at 4:34 pm by Klye and is filed under Reviews, The New Music.
