The new album from Rich Aucoin, Release, drops on Dine Alone Records on Friday. It's a bright, near-ambient record, and one that sees the Canadian musician alternate between genres and styles with a lot of ease.
I say near-ambient but "The Mind" is full of propulsive force, while "The Middle" is very nearly a power-pop number. Elsewhere, "The Self" crackles with the sort of energy one can find one on recent Vampire Weekend releases, while "The Change" is pure Eighties New Wave, Aucoin's cooing vocals here placing this one near stuff like O.M.D. and even The Associates at times.
Release is, I guess, an electro-pop record, and it's one that feels riskier than material from MGMT, an act Aucoin's music shares some similarities with. Still, Release, out on Friday via Dine Alone, is elegant and spacious, full of empty spaces and glistening surfaces that Rich's voice and keyboard washes can fill with music of real depth.
More details on Rich Aucoin via his official website.
[Photo: Meghan Tansey-Whitton]