Tafra
"Why Even Bother" CD
Series Two Records
Genre: lo-fi, indie pop, twee
Sweden
Feb 23, 2009 |
You know that buzzing sound that occurs when
your cellphone gets a transmission when it's
too close to your computer speakers? Swedish multi-instrumentalist
Tafra builds the first song on Why Even Bother, “Cheesy
Epic View,” around that sound. How cool is that?
With that in mind, Tafra's nifty little album is a decidedly
lo-fi pop romp, replete with electronic drum beats, acoustic guitars,
and melodic synths. On “At the Cemetery” and “I Wrote a Song...” he
designs swift little electro-twee nuggets – marshmallowy dream puffs
of sound that are unspectacular yet solid
empty calories nonetheless. Meanwhile, he exhibits Go-Betweens
influences on excellent “Why Do You Have to Be So Complicated Baby”
and infectious “Oh Daniel.” Why Even Bother has several
interesting nuggets, although it is also somewhat inconsistent. “Dear
Satan” is a bland drudge, and “Your Ex-Boyfriend MP3's,” a coy techno
experiment surprisingly reminiscent of Dubnobasswithmyheadman-era
Underworld could have used better execution. Tafra's
verbose confessional style – as well as his singing
voice - is seemingly influenced by
Magnetic Fields' work (think 69 Love Songs – mandolin and
all), although his songs tend to be more simplistic and his lyrics
involve less wordplay. Still, this intriguing lo-fi disc is a
worthwhile journey into Niklas Tafra's world of personal
bedroom pop.
tafra's myspace
72%
Matt Shimmer
[Vitals: 11 tracks, distributed by
the
label,
released 2008] |