GutterPutter

Initially an unknown group from San Francisco, California in the U.S, you may now recognise them for their oft-worshipped breakthrough album velodicy : design : comfort in 2001. Now hailed by many as a classic in Glitch-Hop for its sporadic drum programming, zany production which pushes the bug-riddled sound effects to its logical conclusion & its retention of the indie-pop tunes, it’s uncommon for the duo to be seen as one of the most unique acts to have come out of Darla Records. Following their 2009 output with the more dream pop-based You Will Never Know Why which enjoys acclaim from its fanbase, the duo went quiet for the entirety of the 2010s’. They rarely putting out any more songs (if at all) while other acts like Beach House establish themselves as titans among the indie pop scene. For all the silence, the near-ecliptic anticipation that comes with their boundary-pushing direction, means that the hype from the underground scene remains & at the time of their newest LP’s release, it receives some wondrous applause from its fanbase. I find myself to be among the many who have enjoyed the record even if it’s not perfect to me.

The opening track ‘Tiny Houses’ is nothing short of a big throwback to its shoegazey glitch-hop direction in velocity : design : comfort with its spontaneous, retro-styled sound design that blares out from both ends of your headphone that is also futuristic as well. Yet, the switch to a dream pop aesthetic just a minute in is indicative of the album’s purpose that is to find a synthesis between the duo’s disparate genres into one, unique piece & for most of the time, it does succeed well enough. ‘Surviving a Smile’ is reminiscent of a new-wave track in the mid 80s’ as we hear some lyrics that seeks out optimism. It reminds me a lot of Toto’s ‘Africa’ & while it can come off as being rather surprising in its direction, it’s one that I would welcome. ‘The Weight of Comfort, This Rain is Comfort, This Rain is You’ is comparatively more conventional with its dream-pop focus but while the production of the track is pretty, I find the vocals to not grab hold of my interest for long & it’s mostly the serene ending which entices me to listen onward. ‘In Sound, We Found Each Other’ marks a return of the band’s signature assault of complex indietronic pop as we hear more of the synths & the intricate production over the ethereal sounds before it collapses down to glitches.

However, ‘Chapter’, needless to say, is vicious & is easily my highlight as the duo transitions from a low-key acoustic guitar playing to an infectious cacophony of glitchy ambient sounds, great drum programming & a nice touch of synth that never becomes overbearing. It switches between the calming dream pop & the unpredictable, IDM-based indietronica several times over the course of 5 minutes & it’s this lack of distinct genre which eludes me so much. In contrast, ‘Eave Foolery, Mill Five’ is another blissful dream pop that does its job well even if there’s not much else that I can comment on that’s of worth. ‘Snow Purple Treasures’ features the stuttering kick drum programs on top of the lullaby-like singing before it gives in to an enchanting mix of ethereal wave in its dense mix of indistinguishable singing, live drumming & ambience. ‘Come Spend the Night’ is a lovely, if unremarkable, song although the feedback of the acoustic guitar helps to add to the exotic feel of the band’s direction throughout the whole album. ‘Randfilt’ marks another comeback of the glitch-hop sound that the band have perfected which leads to an erratic (in a good sense) IDM pick even if it’s brief. ‘You’ has a great production palette in the beginning with the sound design that’s alike of a game system starting up in a loop on top of the breathy vocals & the reverberating ambient sounds before it before we get to hear a cathartic drum performance. ‘Walkers Beware! We Drive into the Sun’ is the least experimentally interesting & also the least fun track for me as it feels a rehash of the two tracks after the starting track albeit shorter & the elaborate production sticking out less than it could’ve.

The last three tracks is when we see the band go all in on their talents which leads to some incredible sonic directions – ‘Zafire Melts the Heart in Modulation’ is short, but it’s packed with a ticking time bomb that is a blend between the rhythmic sound patterns & a wave of ethereal synths. ‘Polar Equals’ is among the best instrumental tracks I’ve heard of this year with its begging in reverb-filled instrumentals & the delicate touch of keyboard playing as it closes in on the hectic electro-music all before we get into a riveting guitar riff & the chaotic glitch-hop sounds that you may all be too familiar with. At last, a twinkly, droning sound pops up to transition us to a heavenly outro in ‘At Last a Truth That is Real’ where we can see the vocals be played at its most exquisite on top of the droning ambient sounds. Once the singing is done, we are taken to what can be best summed up as a crescendo that’s taken out of a Godspeed You! Black Emperor album in the distant future without the sounds piling in for a good reason. The rapid drumming & the humbled keyboard & synths have lead to an ending that is to be awed in its entirety as it fades into silence.

In conclusion, Sweet Trip have delivered themselves another album that is worth the attention of the alternative scene once more. There are some tracks that I find to be worth tossing out to make the record a much more compact & well-merited listen & you may have noticed that I give more attention to the band’s glitchy indietronica direction than I did to the dream pop aspect. However, don’t let it detract you from the fact that it’s a worthwhile record to give a listen to. It’s by no means a perfect indie-pop record; that I feel is going to come later rather than sooner for now. But, the sonic palette is more than enough for lovers of electronic music to gorge their ears on for that few artists in the world can ever make glitches work as brilliantly as the duo did. With that, they can take their rest for now.