- It might be hard to initially divine, but How To Dress Well's favorite records of 2010 include Planet Mu's juke offerings, two Night Slugs singles and everything Deadboy put his hand to. Not so hard to understand? Salem, the pitch-dark metal of Burzum and The-Dream. Tom Krell, the distorted R&B falsetto behind the project, fits neatly into whatever is happening in and around witch house and hypnagogic pop—a brainy deconstructionist of a number of genres into something altogether transfixing. Krell is a philosophy student, so it's easy to bring to bear plenty of thoughts on the hows and whys, but what makes Love Remains so interesting is how immediate it sounds.
The songs here are deliberately lo-fi, filled with bits of feedback and vocals that seem to crackle if they dare to reach above a whisper. But unlike many of his peers on, say, Olde English Spelling Bee, Krell's tracks don't feel formal exercises. These are pop songs. Just listen to the fuzzy, but ever-present thump of the live track, "Walking This Dumb." He's a crowd-pleaser at heart. There's a different aim here than with James Ferraro and Autre Ne Veut, whose music can feel absolutely exhausting after awhile.
At a little bit less than 40 minutes, these 14 songs almost reach that point. Krell's insistence on falsetto above all else may be too much. The same goes for the sound quality. But like a techno producer that swears by his analogue gear or a folk musician that won't plug their guitar in, Krell's aesthetic decisions will be catnip to others. But I can't help but think there's something in here for listeners with as wide-ranging tastes as Krell himself. "Suicide Dream 2" has the delicacy of a Max Richter record. "You Won't Need Me Where I'm Goin'" is The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart dunked in water.
When Krell gets into the studio, he outfits his tracks with sonic peculiarities that keep you on the edge of the seat. It's a terrific balancing act, one which Best Coast and Zola Jesus gave up on when they made a move toward poppier pastures in 2010. But as evidenced by the results of Love Remains, it's one well worth trying to pull off.
Tracklist 01. You Hold The Water
02. Ready For The World
03. My Body
04. Suicide Dream 2
05. You Won't Need Me Where I'm Goin
06. Can't See My Own Face
07. Walking This Dumb
08. Date Of Birth
09. Escape Before The Rain
10. Endless Rain
11. Lover's Start
12. Mr. By & By
13. Desicions
14 Suicide Dream 1