Outside of his work with
Black Dice
,
Eric Copeland
has used a massive solo catalog to explore fractured perspectives on cross-wired electronic music, deep-fried techno, and a uniquely damaged kind of pop that's all his own. While a string of releases that included 2017's
Goofballs
and subsequent
Trogg Modal
series focused on slippery synth instrumentals and techno soundtracks for scenes from a demented circus,
Dumb It Down
switches gears dramatically. Ten concise songs embrace melodic vocals, nylon string guitar, and more traditional pop and rock song structures, all of which are relatively new territory for
Copeland
's usually noise-informed work. His signature multi-color loops and psychedelic electronic disruptions still serve as the foundation for almost every tune, but they're joined by singsong melodies and smiling hooks, all congealing into an album of bubblegum hits from an alternate reality.
's vocals are bright and mellow, but they stay low in the mix on anxiously upbeat songs like "Groove Into" or "Motor." There's a strong oldies influence, with tunes like "Motorcycles" and "Feeding a Giant" twisting '60s radio rock into strange new forms. Rock & roll cliches show up in some lyrics, with nods to "the rockin' pneumonia and the boogie-woogie blues," but
converts AM radio templates into far gnarlier sound with the addition of detuned synth bass and samples of animalistic growls. Still, breezy tunes like "Push" are far and away the catchiest sounds he's come up with up until this point. What's truly remarkable about
is how well it fits into
's daunting discography, even while going in the opposite direction of everything he's done before. Even when approaching straightforward, meat-and-potatoes pop tunes, he can't extract his alien perspectives from the end results.
's feel-good pop is covered in the same dayglow weirdness that coats
's work in any style he attempts. ~ Fred Thomas