More Synth Please

“More cowbell” is a prescription of the past. The people need more synth and the new track “Constellating,” by James & Evander dishes out a liberal dose.

The plush wavy synthesizer walks the listener into the track in an electronic fashion similar to Florence + The Machine’s process in their hit, “Dog Days Are Over.” The equally soft vocals further invite attention to the drowning synth overlays. A drum kit enters with an Afro-Caribbean cadence comparable to Vampire Weekend. The beat ramps up the temp for a short period before it drops off into an introverted section. Though the likeness can be established for both these mainstreamed bands James & Evander have a truly unique sound far different from either.

A looped progression escalates over the majority of “Constellating” that sounds as if it was produced on a basic old Casio keyboard. Its puerile appearance does not however demean the song but instead liberates it from a monotonous contemporary sound. This freedom from technical constrain yields a youthful element to James & Evander’s mix board bag of tricks.

James & Evander have successfully ingrained their name in the future-pop genre though this track seems to diverge a bit. The EP this track appears on, “Constellating EP +2,” is their first production with vocal experimentation. “I’m tired of making these mistakes,” repeats throughout, which lends to the highly emotional yet somewhat subdued structure of the song. Future-pop, an offshoot of Electronic Body Music, is often without lyrics and tends to have a more upbeat performance.

Despite being around the longish side at just over five minutes the song does not grow tedious, which is a considerable feat as the samples and loops are intermittent and not to be overlooked.

The Oakland, Ca. duo may be in the business of future-pop production but they have not forgotten their roots. Now on their third installment, James & Evander have released “Songs We Wish We Wrote You Vol. 1-3” since 2009. The two have been busy with a considerable production of original and covered material in their chillwave/future-pop fashion.