Andy Votel – Styles Of The Unexpected

This is one of the most pleasant half hours of music I have stumbled upon. While primarily a downtempo album, influences of hip-hop (tracks 1 & 4), brit pop (tracks 3 & 7), 1960s twee pop (track 2), and even blues (track 4) seep through, accompanied by the wandering hum of a GoPed an a slightly ominous tone. A lovely EP, with the 2nd and 3rd songs being the ones that catch my ear the most.

Jane Weaver's vocals, too young sounding to be completely sultry, bring to mind a dated lounge where the band in the corner does more for the atmosphere than the smokey wood paneling.

While the title of the third track would seem fitting of a car chase around the English countryside, it starts with oddly placed electronic sounds and a meloncholy piano, sounding as if it is in a large room, played by a lonely musician. Then it picks up with guitars and drums, cymbals charging ahead into a strummed harp and a synth, only to fall back to the meloncholy piano and electronics. This pattern repeats a couple times, not feeling repetitive at all. I'm just confused about the electronic bleepings and bloopings.

The rest of the tracks are lovely, and in no way inferior pieces of music. For whatever reason, those tracks caught me in ways the others didn't. The guest appearance of labelmate Alfie's lead singer, Lee Gorton (who does sound a tad like a mopey Thom Yorke here), doesn't add too much to that particular track, but is of some interest.