Review Summary: A stroke of genius.
Rhythm has always been a core element of Buke and Gase's music. The atypical pop that once enamored members of The National during a basement show speaks through
A Record of... in a whole new language thanks to the incorporation of New York drum mercenaries So Percussion. For Arone Dyer and Aron Sanchez, the two names behind Buke and Gase which are also well known for their prolific instrument crafting, joining forces with the percussive quartet has translated into an album that will surely remain as one of the most interesting proposals gracing 2021.
For this record, and in contrast with previous Buke and Gase releases, it feels like Dyer has had more freedom to focus on her singing, which honestly, sounds better than ever. "Diazepam", which opens the album, is driven by her enrapturing voice, a quick sample of the unconventional charm that filters through the many cracks of this collaborative effort. There is an obvious dominance of percussion elements, with the sole companion of the fuzzed guitar bass hybrid used by the duo at times, or some clean string arrangements in some specific passages, with Dyer also piling up vocal harmonies whenever the song calls for it. The whole thing is an audiophile's wet dream, with as many instruments (both official and fictional, like the infamous six-string baritone ukulele known as the "Buke") as my wiki knowledge allows, all happening in a way that is the exact opposite of predictable.
So Percussion's contribution becomes apparent in plenty of places: the maniac outburst in "Hold It In", the way they mark the pace in "Spinach", and the delicate, quasi-jazz strokes that build "This Threat" are a few examples, but they sort of disappear after the edited version of "Diazepam", leaving the duo to finish the album with a less inspired set of three tunes featuring their familiar array of strings, chorales, and white noise melodies that span from the soft guitar picking of "Over the Hill" until the agonizing ending of "Sleepwalk".
With the exception of these last three tracks, which still sit all around well among the duo's back catalogue,
A Record of... is an exuberant display of the musical capacities of every member involved in the project, a tasteful stroke of pop music gracefully guided by Arone Dyer's whimsical vocals and elevated by the delectable sound palette of So Percussion in combination with the substantially solid base that sustains Buke and Gase's music. So make yourself comfortable in this sonic buffet, and delight in every detail; I foresee you won't leave with an empty soul.
