Pacific Drift - Western Water Music, Vol. 1

Album Review

The first album by Elvin Estela (aka Nobody) was a sort of electro-jazz-hip-hop outing that reflected the city streets through a prism of artfully arranged analog clutter and funky beats. On the aptly titled Pacific Drift, he takes things in a more psychedelic direction, still serving up the funky breaks but keeping things generally more smooth and groovy than heavy and pumping. The songs, interestingly, are mostly covers of psychedelic hits from the 1960s. He's helped out on this project by members of Postal Service, Dntel, Mars Volta, and Beachwood Sparks, among others. On "Porpoise Song," Chris Gunst croons in a swooning multi-tracked voice over a lazy drum loop and a chortling Mellotron; "Sioux's Rain, Pt. III" sounds like some aboriginal Martian's idea of reggae; on "I Won't Hurt You," Jimmy Tamborello mutters over a cheesy analog organ and cheesier rhythm box. In a way, the instrumentals are the best — fun as these vocal interludes are, they ultimately tend to detract from Nobody's subtly quirky and elegant compositions. Recommended.