Bravery

iTunes Review

As FaltyDL raises the curtain on his latest mini-LP, the stutter-step drums and misty-eyed melodies of "Made Me Feel So Right" suggest we're in for a Brooklyn-based take on Burial, one of dubstep's true demigods. If only things were that simple. In less than a year, FaltyDL has abruptly shifted from the Squarepusher-like breakcore of his Rapidly Harvested Asparagus EP — a speaker-rattling record that resembles the Planet Mu roster he's now on — to something that's a little more laid-back and dynamic. Bravery provides a scene-skimming bridge between FaltyDL's breakthrough album, Love Is a Liability, and whatever singles and EPs he'll release next. If there's any common theme throughout Bravery's eight cuts it's FaltyDL's refusal to sit still, although his restlessness never leaves you feeling queasy or overwhelmed. He's just full of samples he can't wait to share, whether it's the soulful wail of a house diva ("Tronman"), swift disco loops and steel-plated synths ("Discant"), or the kind of haunted house hooks you'd find on a classic Aphex Twin single ("Play Child").