Logo
DiS Needs You: Save our site »
  • Glastonbury 2019 preview playlist + ten alternative must sees 6 months ago
  • A Different Kind Of Weird: dEUS on The Ideal Crash 7 months ago
  • Way Out East: DiS Does Sharpe Festival 2019 7 months ago
  • 25 years of SPOT Festival: DiS Picks Its Best 11 7 months ago
  • Twelve Hours Of Drone Is Just The Beginning: DiS Does Big Ears 8 months ago
  • IDLES Smash It In Sheffield 8 months ago
  • More bands announced for DiS partnered Fuzz Club Eindhoven 8 months ago
  • The Shape Of Punk To Come?: DiS Meets Crows 8 months ago
  • Logo_home2
  • Records
  • In Depth
  • In Photos
  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • Search
  • Community
  • Records
  • In Depth
  • Blog
  • Community

Botany

Feeling Today

Label: Western Vinyl Release Date: 15/11/2010

64747
Guy_Baillie-Grohman by Guy Baillie-Grohman November 10th, 2010

With the sun kissed tones of chillwave having left a discernable tidemark on the makeup of financial crisis-era indie, a lack of notable recent releases from the genre suggests the sonic promise of surf and sand may have already peaked - retreating back into the sea of ever evolving musical reference points. Yet as with real waves, a few things are inevitably washed up sometime after the main storm has passed, in this case a five track EP by Texan laptop whizzkid Botany (22-year-old Spencer Stephenson), a record that - however hazily charming - sounds distinctly like it’s arrived at the party a little too late.

Seconds into the psychedelia infused lo-fi shimmer of opening title track ‘Feeling Today’ it’s immediately clear where Stephenson’s debut is heading (yep we’re off to the balmy dreamlands of eternal sunsets and limitless Mojitos), with a lush mid-point vocal-sample coax to “Take your time, throw your troubles away” pushing the track towards the blissful serenity inhabited by the likes of Gothenburg’s Air France. Unlike Sweden’s balearic adherents though, Stephenson seems unwilling to embrace the full-bodied pop that lends such sample orientated music its emotive power, instead prioritising the construction of layered sound textures over the production of memorable melodies. Take ‘Waterparker’ for instance. Feeling Today’s centre-piece, it works perfectly ok as a semi-catchy loop of collaged rhythms, instrumental flourishes and ambient noises, yet feels like a marked waste of potential given the way the track’s superb individual elements could have been enhanced immeasurably if focused around a more linear pop hook.

Any lack of real melodic ambition does however bestow a rather inspiring silver lining on ‘Bennefactress’, with intricately detailed arrangements of music-box tinkles and exotic bird song conjuring up images of a magical forest not dissimilar to JG Ballard’s The Crystal World – a blossoming soundscape made special by the decisive lack of formal structure. Closing with the instantly forgettable filtered throb of ‘Agave’, it seems Botany won’t be joining the likes of Washed Out and Toro Y Moi on the beach of contemporary pop rapture anytime soon. Instead Stephenson’s undoubted talents as a sophisticated DIY arranger of samples will, with a bit of luck, see him pollinate the ground as a kind of ambient Girl Talk.

  • 6
    Guy Baillie-Grohman's Score
Log-in to rate this record out of 10
Share on
   
Love DiS? Become a Patron of the site here »


LATEST


  • Glastonbury 2019 preview playlist + ten alternative must sees


  • A Different Kind Of Weird: dEUS on The Ideal Crash


  • Way Out East: DiS Does Sharpe Festival 2019


  • 25 years of SPOT Festival: DiS Picks Its Best 11


  • Twelve Hours Of Drone Is Just The Beginning: DiS Does Big Ears


  • IDLES Smash It In Sheffield



Left-arrow

Tim Key

With A String Quartet. On A Boat.

Mobback
64742
64720

Brian Eno

Small Craft on a Milk Sea

Mobforward
Right-arrow


LATEST

    Festival Preview


    Glastonbury 2019 preview playlist + ten alterna...

  • 106137
  • Interview


    A Different Kind Of Weird: dEUS on The Ideal Crash

  • 106136

    Festival Review


    Way Out East: DiS Does Sharpe Festival 2019

  • 106135
  • Festival Review


    25 years of SPOT Festival: DiS Picks Its Best 11

  • 106134

    Festival Review


    Twelve Hours Of Drone Is Just The Beginning: Di...

  • 106133
  • Live Review


    IDLES Smash It In Sheffield

  • 106132

    Festival Preview


    More bands announced for DiS partnered Fuzz Clu...

  • 106131
  • Interview


    The Shape Of Punk To Come?: DiS Meets Crows

  • 106123
MORE


    feature


    DiS meets Justice

  • 27270
  • feature


    Panic Prevention: At the drink with Jamie T

  • 14183

    feature


    The Knife: Swedish purveyors of alien synergy

  • 27337
  • Column


    DiS Does Singles 22.04.13: Daft Punk, Savages, ...

  • 89944

    DiScover


    ReDiScover: Low

  • 12734
  • In Depth


    Lou Reed: An Eu-lulu-ogy

  • 93330

    DiScussion


    Emo? Twee? In unnecessary defence of Neutral Mi...

  • 93713
  • Interview


    Ace of Bass: DiS Meets Royal Blood

  • 97097
MORE

Drowned in Sound
  • DROWNED IN SOUND
  • HOME
  • SITE MAP
  • NEWS
  • IN DEPTH
  • IN PHOTOS
  • RECORDS
  • RECOMMENDED RECORDS
  • ALBUMS OF THE YEAR
  • FESTIVAL COVERAGE
  • COMMUNITY
  • MUSIC FORUM
  • SOCIAL BOARD
  • REPORT ERRORS
  • CONTACT US
  • JOIN OUR MAILING LIST
  • FOLLOW DiS
  • GOOGLE+
  • FACEBOOK
  • TWITTER
  • SHUFFLER
  • TUMBLR
  • YOUTUBE
  • RSS FEED
  • RSS EMAIL SUBSCRIBE
  • MISC
  • TERM OF USE
  • PRIVACY
  • ADVERTISING
  • OUR WIKIPEDIA
© 2000-2019 DROWNED IN SOUND