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Scuba – Personality February 21, 2012

Oh thank god.  Isn’t it just the worst when you’re totally psyched for an album by a loved artist to be released, only to listen and be underwhelmed?  Conversely then, isn’t it life-affirming when you’re blessed with the opposite?

That’s the case for me today.  As you may remember, Scuba’s Triangulation album had me doing hand-springs (in my dark, cold, mechanically dubstep-lit basement…) and landed on our Top 100 Albums post in its rookie year.  Then he blurred the lines between his Scuba work (mostly lower-bpm dubstep-ian fare) and his SCB alias (house-inflected club releases) with 2011′s transcendant/trance-tinged “Adrenaline” single/B-sides.  And next week his latest album-proper Personality sees debut.

Thanks to www.rcrdlbl.com I’ve digested this in its entirety already.  It is spectacular.  A few observations:

1. All the tracks are between 4:13 and 6:31; easily-consumed morsels which allow enough time to water the crescendos and pluck their fruit.  No 9-minute repetitions here.

2.  Again it seems his 2 performance monikers are blended here.  If I had to say, the prevalent style here is mostly 4/4  with a few tracks leaning into the “post-dubstep”/”bass music” realm.  Similarly, there aren’t any cuts showcasing the decadent trance stylings of last year’s releases, however most of the tracks are rife with enveloping synth washes.

3.  He’s taken some cues from the electro-80′s revival in the states (see:  Com Truise, or more obviously, the summer of 1984 with Van Halen, “Beverly Hills Cop” and “Revenge of the Nerds”) by the prominent hand-claps and Harold Faltermeyer keystrokes.

My assessment then:  this album is perhaps what’s been missing in the evolutionary chain of UK dance music, fusing house, bass and even some darker pop.  Not as cold as UK dubstep and much warmer than the Burials and Mount Kimbies of the bass world.   Not as club-thump-cheese as what’s currently on rotation in most of our stateside dance establishments yet it has the ability to get you out of your booth.  It’s still certainly not for the pop/dance fan (what “good” music is?) in terms of global accessibility but I would venture to say that just about any other electronic music fan could find much enjoyment here.

Stream the full album here

J