SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: APAULL – WHITE LEBARON

apaull
White LeBaron
Furnace Room Records

apaull is back with another EP of electronic music, a four-track collection called White LeBaron. With it, the Dutch-Canadian music producer has continued the stream of regular music drops that he began in 2022.

As with his last outing, Sans Phobia (December 2022), White LeBaron is presented with a variety of created and found sound clips. In the original artist mix of the title track, apaull creates an interesting pastiche of synth patches and rhythms, melodic hooks, and intermittent spoken word bits, under the symbolic umbrella of a 1980s entry-level luxury automobile from the Chrysler Corporation.

With the car and all that it represents as his theme, the artist draws attention to people’s search for meaning in their lives. The concept here is that, if we seek to define ourselves by acquiring luxury items, we are actually trying to quell personal pain that lies within us. It is a futile quest. The only release is death. This is underscored by the song’s dark refrain, “Afterlife, afterglow. Happy to get away, from the undertow, that is dragging me out to sea”.

There is also a passing notion in the track, that soldiers fought in wars so that people could have the freedom to purchase luxury items. It is cynical, yet compelling stuff. The idea of our bleak existence, and its futility, is a common theme for apaull. The artist is deftly able to cut to the core, revealing that society is being sold a bill of goods, and despite claims to the contrary, the kaiser has no clothes.

As with previous releases, apaull provides various mixes of the same track. Track one is his original “White LeBaron” mix. In this mix, the samples and snippets of sound are creatively executed and assembled. Highlights include the violin motif at the top of the track and the retro-sounding programmed drums.

Tracks two and three are remixes of apaull’s work by the DJ/Producer known as Developer. Creating his ‘alpha mix’ and ‘omega mix’, Developer makes longer length, bass-and-drum-heavy dance tracks. It is interesting to hear another producer’s rendering of apaull’s work. However, while the kids might be able to dance to it, it does little to enhance the creativity of apaull’s original work. It is common in this musical world to have other producers remix an artist’s work, but my ears are always more attuned to the sounds that are created by the originator.

There is a fourth track on this EP, an original apaull piece called “Honeywagon”. We will not reveal more about that here, but if you are into electronic music, you owe it to yourself to check out this artist.

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