Rating: NNN
The liner notes of Jake Mandell’s third album contain a short essay professing his love for computers as the embodiment of humanity. This and the song titles might mislead listeners into thinking that this is a high-concept techno album. Instead, we get glitchy, spastic electro-pop and a mischievous sense of humour. Mandell makes techno for indie kids and has been known to actually get them dancing when he plays live. His sound is halfway between 80s kitch and and serious contemporary experimental electronic music, raw but pretty. When he’s not goofing around, he manages to make some challenging, beautifully eerie music.
