The Brothers Baluyut made up 50 to 75% of the pop band Versus, depending on year of operation. Now that each Baluyut is forming his own band or side project, it's important to know the difference between one Baluyut and another. The alpha-Baluyut, as far as Versus goes, is Richard. Richard is the oldest Baluyut brother. Richard is the Baluyut that sings in Versus. Richard is the Baluyut that writes songs in Versus. Richard recently put Versus on hiatus (he can do that since he is the alpha-Baluyut) and has formed a new band called Whysall Lane. The other Baluyuts are less vital to Versus. Ed Baluyut at one time played the drums for Versus but left the band a while ago (replaced by non-Baluyut Patrick Ramos) and has moved on to form The Pacific Ocean. The youngest Baluyut, James, (you can tell he's the youngest because he has the bushiest haircut) played guitar for Versus (starting somewhere around the Deep Red EP) and has just released a solo-project under the name +/-.
When approaching +/-'s self-titled long-playing debut album, it's important to remember that this isn't Richard. This is James; get it straight! To get a gander on what +/- might sound like, Versus fans should pull out their Drawn and Quartered EPs and listen to James' track. Versus fans should expect keyboards, simple electronics, and beats. Versus fans should expect something a little different from that other band (Versus). And James gives us something a little different. While keyboards and the whole electronic gamut may cause a kneejerk reaction linking +/- to all the hottest new electronic pop bands, +/- doesn't really should like Notwist or Hood or anything like that. +/- sounds like it comes from a guy who grew up in the early 80s and had an older brother with a kick ass record collection. +/- is new wave with a "w" in the "new," not a "u".
Creating new wave in the new millennium is tricky, but Baluyut (James, not Richard) manages to pull it off, creating an album that is not at all a kitsch retread, instead creating forlorn, withdrawn bedroom pop. When it is successful, it is successful due to its creativity. "Setting Your Head on Fire" is amalgamation of different sounds from the 80s. The simple robotic beat is reminiscent of Kraftwerk, but on top of that is an amorphous shoegazing guitar. To make the two styles mesh, the guitar never reaches the wall of sound heights of the shoegazing craze, that is until the end of the song where the static builds and overpowers the melody of the song. "Crestfallen" is also completely unexpected, starting with some simple humming and a beat made from a cut-up and manipulated vocal sample, but splicing in fuller, noisier sections that follow the same rhythms and melodies.
Even the less creative songs can still be very good, though. "The Queen of Detroit" is the song on the album perhaps most like Versus, and it is very jangly and very good. "I Sleep Forever" is a soft and mellow keyboard piece very reminiscent of American Analog Set, but it is very well done except for the fact that the vocals are a little off. The fact that the vocals aren't always perfect is one of the down points of this album. James is not as good a singer as his brother (I mean Richard not Ed; I can't speak to the quality of Ed's voice). While not a detriment initially, the impure, nasally tones he creates can start to grate more with later listenings. Also, the album is a little uneven, as several tracks seem underdone and tacked on. "All I Have To Do is Make You" is another exercise on incorporating shoegazing into the Versus brand of Kinks-like pop, but unlike "Setting Your Head on Fire," this one is just an exercise and done by-the-numbers. "The Declaration of Independence" is similar, just some simple loud-soft dynamics and the simplest of drum machine beats.
In the end, +/-'s debut is enjoyable but not tremendous. Being the youngest Baluyut brother, James is not as hardened and jaded as Richard, which makes the despondent, weighed down sound to the album not only sound good but also make sense. The solitary tone to the album, everything coming from and being recorded by James, in some ways keeps the album from being a breakthrough, however one can still feel much anticipation for the next album. Two things can happen: 1) James will learn learn how to record an album better and the overall sound will improve, or 2) James will get someone else to record the album, leading to a better overall sound while giving him more time to make each song on the album great. Either way, let's hope the sophomore long-playing album retains the creativity of this one.
|
