Dial will release Efdemin's sophomore album, Chicago, this May.
Is it just us, or did that feel like a long time to wait? It was back in April 2007 that Phillip Sollmann, AKA Efdemin, released his first full-length to considerable critical acclaim. At the time we called it "a sophisticated and fluid debut" and later backed up the assertion by placing it at #2 in our end of year albums poll. Although a number a 12-inches and a masterful mix—Carry On, Pretend We're Not In The Room—have since followed, the keenest interest in Efdemin has been centered upon Sollmann's follow-up to the aforementioned tour de force.
What is clear from the outset is that Chicago marks something of a stylistic departure from its predecessor. First track "Cowbell"—and in turn much of the album's nine other offerings—do bear many Efdemin hallmarks in their use of classic house tones, but are propped up by a palpable jazz, and to a certain extent microhouse, palette. "Nothing Is Everything" for instance could very well be a lost Villalobos file, while the opener sports a warped organ lick and droll spoken word sample. Sollmann is also said to have infused the record with his performances on the cello, zither, drums, percussion and of course, synthesizer, even if these captured flourishes are not always immediately evident on the surface.
Tracklist 01. Cowbell 02. Shoeshine 03. Night Train 04. Oh My God 05. There Will Be Singing 06. Le Grand Voyage 07. Nothing Is Everything 08. Round Here 09. Wonderland (The Race for Space) 10. Oh My God (Reprise) _______________________
_________________ [color=#FFFF00]"If Pacman had affected us as kids we'd all be running around in darkened rooms munching magic pills and listening to repetitive music."[/color]
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