I Need New Eyes

Relying less on samples than Years Not Living two years prior, the self-produced I Need New Eyes finds difficult-to-label electronic experimenter Larry Gus (Greek musician Panagiotis Melidis) still painting uncommon rhythmic songscapes, this time on a canvas of more comprehendible pop structures. Mixed by fellow experimenter Alex Epton (aka XXXChange of Win Win), the record also features ethereal vocals by Moscow-based Kate Shilonosova (aka NV) on "Belong to Love," an easygoing, synth pop type of tune -- ambient-leaning yet active in percussion in the second half and dotted with dissonant woodwinds and keyboard squawks. For straightforward synth pop, there's also the livelier "A Set of Replies." "NP-Complete" offers a trippier diversion via organ, clattering drums, what appears to be multiple sampled vocalists including a children's chorus, and Gus' airy falsetto reaching for the clouds. Elsewhere, "Taking the Personal Away" ups the rhythmic intensity via hyper, layered percussion injected with dripping liquid-like tones and lyrics such as "Now my head is aching with the feelings that you hold" and "Mere illness in summer clothes/I wish all days were cold." It's difficult to know if his stylized lyrics are the result of an intentionally quirky writing style or of being a non-native English speaker, but they suit his deliberately fabricated-sounding music. Fans need not worry; colorful, variously world music-infused, psychedelic, and ultra-rhythmic, I Need New Eyes retains Larry Gus' somewhat warped artfulness, and the relatively more coherent presentation may attract at least a few more willing ears. ~ Marcy Donelson