- Lockah does everything big: chords, beats, emotions, influences and even song titles are all rendered larger than life in his hands. It works well for the most part, hearing all the ways Linn Drum samples and '80s synth motifs can be magnified and repurposed. Still, there comes a point where the line between celebratory homage and over-the-top stylization grows too blurry, and the Scottish producer approaches self-indulgence frequently on And Blue Brindle Too. Opener "Barcelona Drums" sounds like a remix for the intro of a Siegfried & Roy performance, and the guitar solo closing out the sanguine dance jam "You'll Suckers Don't Even Cut Corn" only muddies an already overcrowded mix. Lockah has said, "The EP [is] supposed to play like a lost '80s pop group record," and sure enough it does (albeit without any vocals). So the question becomes whether or not a campy, instrumental synth-pop record is what you want to hear from him.
Thankfully, Lockah didn't write Blue Brindle entirely as a pastiche, and he was careful to sneak in relatively subversive ideas where he could. Nestled into the starry-eyed Kraftwerk worship of "Canada Gifts" you'll find a few warbled synth flourishes that recall Yahoo Or The Highway's lovesick playfulness. "When Were You In '82, When Heate Legend Dies?" coats hard-smacking electro beats in enough syrupy funk bass and Juno textures to skew it more experimental than rudimental. But by the time "Barcelona Linn Reprise" fades out its hollow guitar, heavily gated reverb and canned string plucks, you might be hoping Lockah gets back to basics soon.
Tracklist01. Barcelona Drums
02. When Were U In '82, When Heate Legend Dies?
03. You'll Suckers Don't Even Cut Corn
04. Canada Gifts
05. Barcelona Linn Reprise