Review Summary: The tenuous relationship between tranquility and urgency
Tom and Ed Russell are a very busy pair of brothers. You may not agree at first, considering
Good Lies is the first full-length effort in the duo’s 8-year run; however, take a deeper look into their catalog and you’ll find that they have a whopping
seven EPs and
six remixes to their name. As for the Russells themselves, they each came from slightly different stylistic backgrounds: Tom was primarily into techno, whereas Ed was more interested in drum & bass and rave music. While this clash may seem detrimental to the sound they’re cultivating together as a duo, one listen to
Good Lies will dispel that notion; in fact, combining these different electronic subgenres together has made for a pretty addictive experience.
Let me put it this way: imagine the rapid-fire breakbeats and thick bottom end of drum & bass, mixed with the hypnotic synth lines and timbre manipulation of techno. That’s a pretty good way of describing much of
Good Lies’ runtime, and the tracks that use this approach tend to be the highlights of the experience. “Skulled” is the prime example here, as the tune simply revels in its contrasts; the way the nimble beats directly juxtapose the trippy synths, the way the flashy female vocals belie the subtle bass beneath them… the track walks a fine line between being background music and actively engaging your brain. “Sugarushhh” follows and, while offering similar contradictions of its own, serves more as a study in buildup and payoff. It begins at a slow, drowsy crawl with lax vocals and dreamy keyboards, only to slowly transform as its bass line becomes more prominent and urgent.
In general, tranquility and urgency have a tenuous relationship on
Good Lies. However, that’s not to say that the rhythms and melodies can’t find common ground once in a while; “Vermonly”, for instance, plays around with expansive, dreamlike soundscapes, and the low end mostly follows suit. It’s a lovely respite and, even at just under three minutes, manages to be one of the record’s biggest highlights. On the other end, “So U Kno” ratchets up the tension for most of its runtime with near-constant vocals and an unwavering, steady tempo. The entire track is like a tightly-wound rubber band that’s constantly threatening to snap, which makes for an incredibly engaging listen - especially the first time you hear it. More than anything else, the Russell brothers’ greatest weapon here is the art of tension and release.
Still, I do wish the project was a bit more focused. Even at 48 minutes,
Good Lies starts to get somewhat aimless and dull past the halfway mark (sans the previous two songs I mentioned above); after a while, you get the sense that you’ve already heard everything the duo have to offer. While this material will undoubtedly be a hit in clubs and on dancefloors, the magic doesn’t always translate to a casual listen at home. This is especially true of the final cut “Calling Out”, whose recycled synths and uninspired rhythms don’t really tell us anything we haven’t already gathered from the previous songs. With all of that said, I’m still going to give
Good Lies a modest recommendation to anyone who wants to hear some swift breakbeats and atmospheric melodies. It’s a fun listen for the most part, and the Russells have a solid future ahead of them if
this is what they can do with their first full-length.
