“Feel It All Around”
from the EP Life of Leisure
2009
iTunes
From the opening finger-snaps of Washed Out’s Life of Leisure EP, the agenda is clear — get as many people to groove together as possible. Across six distinct electronic dance tracks, Washed Out proves that he is a confident auteur. Surprisingly enough, this debut release is the result of only a month of work using the moniker Washed Out. The EP was recorded in a bedroom (the hallmark of do-it-yourself and independent music), though the audio quality does not suffer because of it.
Life of Leisure conjures a variety of moods with little aid from any typical lyrical memes. More often than not, the words are practically indiscernible in the mix. Washed Out’s voice is both a mournful and tenderly evocative croon, and though what he is saying is often lost in waves of reverb, there is no disconnect between the listener and the singer. The songs range from yearning slow-burners (“Feel It All Around”) to slinky urban grooves (“Get Up,” “Lately”) and triumphant celebrations (“New Theory”).
The beats are typical dance fare throughout the album, though this does not detract from the experience in the slightest. An insistent kick-snare combination pulls the listener through most of the songs at a steady pace, allowing other elements of the music to really shine. The chief strength of the EP is the giant walls of beautiful noise that Washed Out can create. Through the use of warm and enveloping synths, the aforementioned whooshing vocals and slightly crackling textures, Life of Leisure creates an inviting and roomy headspace for you to drift away in.
Also noteworthy are the fun little details of the album that flesh out the experience and make it feel a touch more human. On “Hold Out,” there is what sounds like a little kid joyfully running his fingers over an aged keyboard and a strange “Whooo!” that increases in pitch using a delay effect, like a frenzied crowd being urged along by the music. The song “Lately” has the rhythm enhanced by a sample of someone repeatedly saying “Yup!,” and then the whole thing abruptly ends with an acoustic piano chord that isn’t even allowed to sustain.
All of the odds and ends of the album (even the abrupt endings) signal what could be a very promising and more fleshed out full-length album in the future. Given more than just a month to come up with material, there is no telling what Washed Out could bring us. His songwriting is already very poignant and developed, all that’s missing is a cohesive package. As it stands, the Life of Leisure EP marks a great success for Washed Out. Various styles of electronic dance music wonderfully color the album and beckon listeners to lose themselves in a gauzy dream-world, if only for a brief 18 minutes or so. There’s always the repeat button!