Every time I get a bandcamp notification with a new release from the mysterious William J Le Petomane on bandcamp, it elicits an "ooh!". And upon listening to this one I must confirm: "ooh!".
The description for this album suggests a marked increase in Mellotron usage. I didn't know much about the Mellotron, so I watched this short video. I'm not saying it's the most helpful video to learn about it, but it is the one you should watch.
Now, I don't have the ear to pick out what's Mellotron on this record and what's whatever WJLP has been doing in the past, but it seems like a tool well-suited to kitschy elements that he's predisposed to. And even though he can write a nice guitar melody as well as anybody, I find that the eclectic rhythmic elements of this are what stand out to me most, and I believe those are the parts the mellotron most contributes to. I'm actually not sure if there's guitar on every track ("The Girl from Iwo Jima" for instance).
This doesn't feel so much like a new direction for WJLP. This sits nicely alongside previous material, with the same mix of thematic directions. In fact, this record feels comfortable, coming from the place of somebody that knows what he's doing and enjoys having built the skillset to do it. Like always, the new WJLP record is quirky, wonderous, inventive, and fun.
I believe this is bandcamp only.
