A Hipster Doofus, Edified; or, how I Stopped Worrying and Started to Love the Drake
Ah, yes, Bryter Layter. The middle child. I am instantly taken in by the very simple introduction; when strings are done right, they can pique my curiosity and keep me intrigued for more. That it segues into the jaunty, bounce of ‘Hazy Jane II’, only seals the deal — I have a feeling I am going to love this particular trip. Following it with an overcast ballad makes up for the big problem of his first album — a tracklisting that is sonically varied, and doesn’t fall victim to monotonous sound. I guess that’s the problem I had with Five Leaves Left — it was all the same, same tempo, same melody, basically. It’s okay to have a sound that doesn’t necessarily vary, if you know how to sequence.
‘One Of These Things First’ has a piano part that reminds me of Vince Guaraldi, but only in the best way. It is here that I break my rule of going back for repeated listens, but after ‘Hazy Jane I’, I find myself trying to stay awake, coffee be damned. But my sleepy-eyed tendencies are broken by piano, bass guitar, and a tempo that does not allow me to fall asleep. The coffee isn’t hurting, either.
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