Review Summary: V : D : C Patch Notes v2.1.0
In effort to avoid releasing part two of a cult classic, Sweet Trip manage an appropriate progression - - or more accurately, deconstruction - - of their unique sound.
You Will Never Know Why makes a stride forward with the act of stepping backwards. Baggage is shed by retracing steps, material lost with sentiment retained. Whether or not the true meat of what they had offered previously was to your tastes will determine your appreciation of this album. While a great deal of those who've heard
Velocity : Design : Comfort absolutely adore it, its safe to assume a few may have fallen for the album's tricks, or perhaps some were cautious enough to realize they only enjoyed the icing and not the cake. It's these groups that will have complaints going into the band's third album. Too cryptic? In an unrequested update, Sweet Trip patch the glitches abundant on their penultimate version with
You Will Never Know Why, loosing some of their old strengths in favor of sincerity.
Being familiar with their their sophomore album may leave you wondering where the novelty went. Nearly removed are the glitchinesss and IDM exploits you'd be accustomed to on
V : D : C, and their absence is filled by decompressing what they once suffocated. Perhaps the aim was to offer the world the root of their sound; to shed all gimmick in order to expose their naked form. If we assume Sweet Trip the benefit of self-awareness, its a ballsy move to cut ties with what puppeteered a dream pop band into a contortionist act. But there's sincerity in that move, and its translated effectively.
You Will Never Know Why is an astonishingly leveled pop album. Shyness is replaced by extreme confidence, with the instrumentals as forefront as possible. The addition of a permanent drummer and a focus on the bass guitar (which opens the album) provides an emphasis on rhythm that was no where near as prominent previously. This plays into the band's strength of harpooning vocal sections straight through powerful chord progressions. The fluid electronic elements that were spared the fate of their brethren exist only to seal the cracks and grease up the album, and successfully avoid stealing the show. Coupled with organized and familiar song structuring, there's absolutely no moment of inaccessibility. The result is a comforting package of music that ultimately sacrifices the ambition and uniqueness of its predecessor for its own simplicity, and that's a fantastic compromise. Music doesn't have an obligation to be inventive; there is, however, a burden of competition. Not to worry,
You Will Never Know Why stands as a stoic example of this established sound.
