Search - DNTEL :: Early Works for Me If It Works for You II

It's about time, Jimmy Tamborello!

Derivative Contrivance | Outer, Space | 06/23/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I had heard rumors of its existence. I didn't want to believe it, lest it turn out to be mere speculation, like the deluxe edition remaster of The Cure's Disintegration. Instead, it turns out to be just like the reissues of Radiohead's first 3 albums, complete with all the corresponding era B-sides, that suddenly appeared this year. It's simply too good to be true, yet somehow, it is true, which makes it even better.

See... I have waited a long time for someone to even realize this possibility. Then suddenly, the possibility isn't just realized as an idea for a potential possibility, it's fully realized into a tangible product. And I'm not sure I can ever convey how flabbergasted that leaves me. Of course, the mere fact that I'm writing this review signifies that I am at least going to try.

OK... soheregoes...

Stumbling across this page is basically like rummaging through a flea market to find a holy grail being sold at a discount price. You rapidly purchase it before anyone else can get their mitts on it, then sneak it home to slaver over it. Only, once you get home, you discover that this isn't as singular as you initially thought, that it's actually being mass-produced for public consumption. Yet instead of becoming despondent because this holy grail is now something any schmuck can procure from a regular retail store, you become even MORE ecstatic at the possibility of everyone you know owning such a fabulous item.

This is how I feel about this triple-disk reissue of Dntel's debut album & EP + all the era B-sides & such. It's exciting. It's also very surreal...

For the longest time, the only Dntel albums you could even find, or at least find for a decent price, were Life Is Full Of Possibilities & Dumb Luck. Of course there's always The Postal Service, Figurine, and the James Figurine release, which are all extraordinary. But there was always something lacking, always a void in the Dntel legacy available to the public. That void was left by Dntel's first two releases, Something Always Goes Wrong & Early Works For Me If It Works For You, going very out of print. For the longest time, people had to pirate these albums just to listen to them. Even if a copy could be tracked down, it would always be EXORBITANT because they were just so elusive! And that was tragic, because it's not as if these were embarrassing novice-noodlings that deserve to languish in obscurity. These are brilliant ideas dexterously articulated by someone with inspiring competence, complete artistic statements made by someone with a focused vision & the discipline to see his ideas into fruition. The songs are astounding. Jimmy Tamborello has an obvious ear for memorable melodies. He's also very deft at conveying magnificent emotions. The mood of each individual song feels universal in size. And out of all the "Intelligent Dance Music" I can think of, this might have some of the most universal appeal. People may slag these albums off as just earnest imitations of Warp Records artists, as if Jimmy Tamborello is just trying to become the American Richard D. James or Tom Jenkinson. I think that's a very lazy assessment. Frankly, Richard & Tom are never this consistent because they're usually too busy innovating to refine their songs into compelling pop gems. They're often more concerned with weaving convoluted tapestries of sound than composing music. No matter how abrasive or obtuse Dntel sounds, the focal point of the song is always a melody that anyone can adore. So Dntel certainly won't boggle anyone who's ever listened to the flagship Warp acts, but I'm sure Jimmy is well aware of that. He isn't creating music to show Autechre how DSP-wankery is really done, he's creating music to show the world that all this newfangled glitch-electronica is not just an arcane niche genre, that there's an entire alternate dimension of possibilities in the more musical aspects of the genre. He may not be a progenitor, but he's certainly not just hopping on a bandwagon in hopes of riding the crest of the IDM wave to glory. He simply makes great songs. No, he didn't invent skittering beats or off-kilter arrangements. And no, he didn't invent the glitch-electronica popsong. But he DID get indierockstars to sing on his albums, and thus he almost singlehandedly spawned the genre of electropop with that quirky indie appeal. Isn't that innovation enough?

But I digress. My point is simply this: at long last the public can finally listen to the humble origins of the other guy in The Postal Service, the dude who made electronica indie.

Snag a copy before this too goes out of print. I guarantee that you'll love if it you give it a chance.

That is all."

Fantastic set

Philip Masiakowski | Milwaukee, WI USA | 03/16/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When I was looking up The Postal Service on Wikipedia, I noticed that it mentioned two components--Ben Gibbard and Dntel. Now I had heard of Ben Gibbard from Death Cab for Cutie, a band I am fairly indifferent to. But when I saw Dntel, I was curious--I had never heard of the guy, and apparently he was the genious behind the glitchy beats and sythesizers of "Such Great Heights."



So when I checked out his solo work, I was somewhat underwhelmed by the 30-second audio clips on iTunes of "Life Is Full of Possibilities" and "Dumb Luck". (I realize now that he's one of those artists for whom 30-second clips do no justice.) But immediately when stumbling across the clip for "In Which Our Hero Begins His Long and Arduous Quest" off of album "Early Works for Me If It Works for You II", I was very interested--I'm a total sucker for Nintendo-style sounds. I checked out a few other clips and said, "Hey, why not? Sounds interesting--and it's 3-albums worth for $12." I am pleased to say that what I heard was much more than disjointed blips and sound effects--it is truly a collage of sound.



That's not to say that the three discs comprising "Early II" don't take some serious getting used to. You'll be hard pressed to find any vocals beyond some occasional vocoded samples, but that isn't a weakness--just an acquired taste. First disc "Something Always Goes Wrong" is an absolute favorite for me. Track 1--the one that initially hooked me--is fantastic in its entirety, and songs like "In Which Our Hero Falls Under a Spell" and "In Which Our Hero Frees the Damsel in Distress" are absolutely beautiful, worth every one of the 8 to 9 minutes apiece. After the first six songs (the original EP), the last four tracks are okay (though unnecessary).



I don't enjoy every moment of second disc "Early Works for Me If It Works for You". But there are several high points, such as "High Horses Theme" and "Pliesex Sielking." And the third and final disc--apparently some previously unreleased material--feels a bit long at times. Again, though, some of it is very cool--"Don't Try" is Daft-Punk-esque, and "Darker Earlier" is a gorgeous piece you could fall asleep to if you're not careful.



Where "Early II" struggles in keeping interesting ("Casuals", "Mini"), it more than makes up for it in creativity and arrangement. Certainly must be the dream package for a Dntel fan, and a fun enough listen to convert the rest of us."