Released - 3/21/11
Label - Carpark Records
BLURB - This album has slowly crept into my rotation over the last month or so. Adventure is a three piece group that blends electronic music, pop and indie into this surprisingly cool mix of hipster dance music. While the group is young (and it shows), there is certainly the potential for Adventure to become something dynamic. The lyrics are sparse, but the musical ingenuity and ideas are not, as Adventure's "Lesser Known" spends much of it's time weaving between 80's pop and 00's electronica.
Rating - 7 out of 10
Full Story - I'll try to filter out the bias for this album, but there are some things that should go on the record. I heard about Adventure through a friend of mine, Dave Fell, who is -- yes -- a member of Adventure. And yes, his name is Dave Fell. Before Dave's musical career started taking off, he was more known for his glove at first base. I played baseball with Dave all the way from little league through varsity baseball in high school and he was always the guy with the jokes, but also the guy that would hit the go-ahead home run. So when I got wind of Adventure, and heard they were opening for Toro y Moi in Brooklyn -- there's no way I could miss that. Adventure played a great set in front of crowd that largely had no idea who they were. It was evident how well they performed when I had to wait for a crowd (ok, maybe 5 or 6 people) to pass, to catch up with him. I ended up picking up their album and it keeps finding it's way into my playlist.
On to the actual music though. The album begins with 'Open Door,' a synth-ridden opener that quickly established the feel and tone for the album. The track basically features one riff, as background instrumentation is continuously being filtered in and out. The song gets a bit monotonous, but the backing beat is solid enough to make you forget about the repetition.
The strongest track on the album has got to be 'Feels Like Heaven.' Like 'Open Door,' much of the track is repetitious, but the vocal hook and underlying melodies provide a strong foundation. The song has a bright eighties feel to it, and could double as a new-age synth-pop hit. The vocals are of a somewhat higher pitch and remind me of something off of a Passion Pit or MGMT record. The beat of the track is also filled with incredible momentum, while the song itself remains somewhat down tempo. The lyrics are also somewhat intriguing as they go back and forth between the lines "this feels like heaven" and "this is my heaven," adding a sincere tone to the song.
'Smoke and Mirrors' comes off as a bit cheesy. Sorry Dave. The song has a weird tropical feel that I can't get into. I don't know if it's because I hear bongos and synthesizers at the same time or what, but I just don't feel it. The vocals on 'Smoke and Mirrors' are also a little sub-par here and definitely detract from the song.
'Lights Out' is the song I want to hear right before the apocalypse hits. It's loud, energetic and danceable. It's such a great party song and has an incredible amount of energy and excitement. The synths are somewhat darker and have a more industrial tone to them, but when they are coupled with some of the brighter synths and leads the result is unbelievable. Once again there is a great beat providing the foundation and carries the track throughout the chaotic instrumentation.
For the most part, "Lesser Known" is a collection of these great ideas and fragments that are transformed into songs. While that can yield great results like 'Feels Like Heaven' and 'Lights Out,' it can also create repetition and monotony. Many of the songs on the album feel like just a single theme, hook or lead that is extended long enough to create a song. Don't get me wrong though, some of these pieces are amazing, but it would be nice to see a little more diversity in the songs themselves. I think with another year or two, though, Adventure is going to mature into a great electronic indie-dance band. But for now, "Lesser Known" is nothing more than a great start.
Take a listen to 'Feels Like Heaven.'
Tracks
1.) Open Door
2.) Feels Like Heaven
3.) Smoke and Mirrors
4.) Fool's Paradise
5.) Rio
6.) Lights Out
7.) Relax the Mind
8.) Electric Eel
9.) Meadows
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