EP of the Week: Chapter One: The Ruins by The Adversary

I was lucky enough to catch The Adversary performing at the NYC Unofficial Burning Man Decompression event (previewed here), and boy did he kill it. There’s a lot to like about his live set, but interestingly enough, he’s one of the few indietronica artists here in Gotham that can actually drop both live and studio session work competently. I managed to get my hands on his EP, and if you can, you definitely should check it out. And you can right from here, because I’m wonderful. The intro pushes into some angelic vocal work that bewilders & intrigues.

Maybelline shows up with some sweet bass licks, which, you’d think was sarcastic, but no, there’s just quality instrumental work to match a compelling, echoic vocal. The drum work and chords keep you moving while you keep pace with the surprisingly intelligent lyrics. Ten points for using “redacted” in talking about dating crazy bitches. It also sounds like InnerPartySystem, a 3 person act (now defunct) that fused house elements with solid indie chops and a signature sound. I can’t wait to see where The Adversary goes.

Patterns is a wobbly, fun track that reminds heavily of the freer days of Soundgarden. The vocals crank up and there’s a few moments where I thought some Pink Floyd had crept in on the tune but that was just me getting lost in the gorgeous voice & accompaniment. Crazy Dreams is a lush & hip anthem that really needs to be heard to be believed. Sadly, it’s not up for streaming quite yet, so if you want to hear what the intro hints at, you’ve gotta grab it on iTunes. To make up for that great injustice, this Yoshime tune that you can stream right below, I do believe, has a music video coming out today! It’s a more triumphant & hopeful tune than the others on the EP, so it’s a nice departure that shows the guy’s range and hopefully, what can be done in the future.