Margaret Dygas - Margaret Dygas

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  • No stranger to the long player format, Margaret Dygas used the expanded canvas of How Do You Do? on Powershovel to explore more experimental climes. On her self-titled album for the acclaimed Perlon imprint, however, we see her trying to strike a balance between this and her more dance-oriented work. The LP opens with a mood setting piece: "Missing You Less." It sounds like it came straight from the How Do You Do sessions. Discordant piano keys flutter against brittle hi-hat and cymbal patterns, all undulating in intensity and volume. "Country Way of Life," with its druggy ambience and vocal snippets you can't quite make out, also seems like it would work on the most open-minded of dance floors. Nonetheless, these tracks show Dygas getting even better at this type of production: The experimental/ambient tracks on Margaret Dygas, compared to her earlier works of a similar nature, are better. "Soon" instantly comes in with more groove. More drums too. Acoustic percussion is intricately sampled and chopped while major chords set the tone. Once the kick switches from its half-time plod to a foot-tapping 4/4 rhythm, the track springs to life. While not as strikingly beautiful as "Frankly" from her prior Perlon release, "Soon" is a reminder that she has floor-moving tracks in her. On this club friendly tip, we find "Ocbinh's Groove," which contains an outlandishly droll vocal, "I like badger racing." The track does indeed groove its way around a heavy drum kit until an arpeggiated synth locks in at around the halfway mark and transforms it into a rather danceable, albeit dark, workout. Delivering such contrasting tracks that work cohesively as an album isn't an easy feat, but by drawing from all of her styles, Dygas manages to pull it off with ease here.
  • Tracklist
      01. Missing You Less 02. Soon 03. Pressed for Time 04. Country Way of Life 05. 41 06. Ocbinh's Groove
RA