SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: APAULL – GUNFACTOR

APAULL
GUNFACTOR
FURNACE ROOM RECORDS

The Dutch-Canadian electronic music artist, DJ, and producer apaull has released his third studio album, Gunfactor. The album’s title loosely translates to “it factor” in Dutch, a term which takes on a wholly new context in English. Consistent with apaull’s earlier releases, the music is never just music, as he uses snippets and samples of instrumentation and spoken word, to present his ever-evolving world view.

Right out of the gate, the percussive gunfire in “Fang Mich,” sets the rhythm for this piece. Other instrumental sounds (natural and synthesized) support, as the piece builds. While it is not over-the-top bombastic, it grabs the listener’s ear and prepares them for the ride ahead. Next up is the hypnotic and synth-pop-melodic “King Dome,” whose beauty belies the war and conflict culture that inspired it, and “Push the Button,” which carries on the driving apaull dancehall tradition.

True to the precedent set on his earlier releases, the artist revels in sonic and lyrical twists in his work, and such moments are plentiful on this album. By playing with the double meaning of the title, apaull deals in ambiguity. We are never quite sure what he is referring to. Is it the Dutch “it factor,” which might lead a person to fame, or is it the English “gun factor,” which might result in death and destruction? The spoken vocal part in the title track asks, “Do you have the gunfactor?” It is a loaded question (pun intended).

With Gunfactor, apaull confirms his place as a true artist. While these things are difficult to quantify, this may be his best effort to date. It is definitely an album to be listened to, as it both challenges and relaxes the mind. It is a rare artist that can shine a light on society’s ills, and still present some sort of calm, and distant hope.

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