Leila - U&I (Warp) [2012]

Leila's 4th LP (second on Warp Records) dropped last month and as would be expected is another eclectic collection of indie-fused electronic pieces, many featuring Berlin-based DJ turned producer 'Mt. Sims' (Matthew Sims) on vocals. The album kicks off with semi-ambient prelude 'Of One', which works well as a stage-setter for the album as a whole before marching head-on into 'Activate I'. This track is somewhat in your face particularly with being right at the start of the album, the synth sounds come across a bit dated/cheesy and the lack of any sort of reverb or softening in the track makes this one grind a bit for me, but I tend to forget about it in the light of the next segue of tracks: 'All of This'; 'Welcome to Your Life'; and 'In Consideration', all featuring the vocals of Mt. Sims.


The first of those tracks mentioned heads almost straight into a semi-melancholic psycho-skittering array of saw waves, sine waves and a satisfactorily glitched gritty drum bank. The track has energetic feel and is where the ball really starts rolling for this album; the slow addition of elements to the central composition builds up quite an atmosphere which cuts back away and ends on a cliff-hanger sort of feel in the last third of this piece, moving onwards into 'Welcome to Your Life' (the second single from this album). Again straight in there with the vocals and saw waves, and a high BPM D'n'B inspired drum beat, this track is a certified foot-stomper, unusual vocal timings build up a tension towards the first chorus of 'Welcome to your life again...', and after this moment the production and electronics really start to go wild and interesting. The atmosphere is cut away and rebuilt through towards the second chorus, drumming in the impact of it before the track comes to a quick halt. Personally I find this track probably the most energetic from this LP and certainly puts the vocals of Mt. Sims to the most effective use. Next up is the vocal-layering ambience of 'In Consideration', this track certainly has a very eerie feel to it and the reverbed vocal styles here are somewhat reminiscent of How to Dress Well's 'Love Remains', this track slows the pace of the album and acts as a bit of a turning point before the next track (non-vocal) 'Eight'.


'Eight' sort of tries to grab at the feeling of the previous track with some synth pads starting it off, then the addition of a drum track and soon after a harmonising acid-style bass line, this track isn't terrible in itself but its short length and relative lack of direction leave it feeling more of an interlude before the next track drops '(Disappointed Cloud) Anyway', the first single from this LP. This track has a much more fun and also more avant-garde, experimental feel than the rest of the album up to this point, it builds up with layering parts twice before entering a semi-bridge-like section, which still doesn't seem to go anywhere particularly, but the track still retains an attractive charm and it's unusual structure makes it one for the replay-ability factor. Next up is the abrasive synth-noise interlude of 'Interlace' which can seem a bit out of place but in the context of the whole album actually works quite well as a bridge between the previous track and 'Colony Collapse Disorder', the next track on the album. Again with the vocals of Mt. Sims, the album seems to take a darker turn here; disorientating off-kilter drum beats and an ominous and abrasive bass line draw immediate attention with this track, which quickly descends into a chaotic, manic, dark frenzy of sounds and vocal samples. The off-kilter beats really make it hard to ignore any parts of this track and make it one of the up points of the album, as well as a signal of the album entering yet again slightly different territory with 'Boudica'.


'Boudica' builds up over time into a groovy, almost AFX-esque dark synth jam, but is also on the slower side of the tracks and acts as a pointer to the album slowing down towards its end with the final segue of three tracks, the first being 'In Motion Slow'. The clue is in the name with this track, a slower track, and without drums, one that is again touching on the ambient side of things; a gently dripping array of saw waves with build up and up into eventually what is like a giant soft sound blanket, and incredible ambient moment actually, although I can't help but think the track would be improved without its final minute where it returns to where it began, but the chord sequence does become more interesting there. Second to last is the title track, and the last to feature Mt. Sims on this album, the track starts with vocals and synths, in a semi-melancholy, semi-optimistic chord progression... ballad-eqsue, maybe? This comes to a halt an the song enters another section with a different chord sequence and more layers, but a similar timbre overall, and the track sounds like the beginning to a melancholic end of this album, slowly disassembling itself before the final track begins, 'Forasmuch'. This track picks up the mood again in another semi-ambient composition, the harmonies and melodies created here keep interest up and give a great feeling for the end of this album.


Overall I'd give this album 7/10, it's my first experience listening to Leila to any massive extent and there's some great stand-out tracks on here, ones to come back to. The flaw with this album for me is that it seems to have a lot of different things going on in different places and it does affect the flow and integrity of the album, but maybe that's the way it is meant to be, I can't put my finger on it exactly. The album definitely showcases a wide range of abilities on Leila's part and the vocals of Mt. Sims add a separate and more interesting dimension. I'll be looking forward to the next instalment of this project.


- OM


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