Michael

Album review

In his main band Toro y Moi, Chaz Bundick has always incorporated dance music elements, a little woozy funk here, a little wobbly disco there. With his Les Sins side project, he dives headfirst into crafting dancefloor-friendly jams that will get feet moving, but still have plenty of clouds in the mix. On his debut album under the name, 2014's Michael, Bundick brings the same sleepy, dreamlike nature that informs Toro y Moi, but here he adds it like a spice instead of building the songs around it. The focus here is on beats and grooves, dropping (very) left-field house and post-disco tracks that are mostly propulsive and fun, though occasionally a little introspective and atmospheric. The most straightforward among them, like the bubbling, Nate Salman-sung "Why" and the silky-smooth "Minato," have the kind of shiny spark that would make them sound great in a club setting. The chillest tracks, like the nocturnal techno cut "Bellow" and the chopped-up piano ballad "Do Right" that closes the album on a high note, show the influence of Toro, but stray far from shoegaze and/or dream pop. Elsewhere, Bundick shows he's a master at making glitchy vocal tracks that swing ("Talk About," "Bother"), drops in some solid footwork ("Call"), and beats Prince at his own game on the deliriously fun "Sticky." Bundick's not yet a complete master at any of the sounds and styles he takes a crack at here, but his unique perspective, melodic skills, sure-handed knack for finding just the right synth sounds to fit the song, and willingness to try anything means that Michael is a successful side-project album in every way. It may not displace Toro y Moi as Bundick's most satisfying project, but as an outlet for his dance music urges, Les Sins works very well.
© Tim Sendra /TiVo