Album Review: Baio - The Names

Chris Baio is an intelligent man with clever rhythms and an acerbic writing style. The Vampire Weekend bass player has been making electronic music for a number of years now, but The Names is his debut full-length release. Graduating from Columbia University with the other members of the aforementioned band, the 30-year-old is thankfully still in touch with his theatrical side. He swoons with the melodramatic flair of Bryan Ferry on the Roxy Music-inspired Sister Of Pearl, warbling "Like a sentimental crook it's tough to get away," in his affected accent over an anachronistic harpsichord melody. While his stage antics are skilfully matched with an equally playful variety of sounds throughout the record, there's also a strong thematic undercurrent to the album.

Drawing its title from the seventh novel by American writer Don DeLillo, The Names was largely influenced by Baio's relocation to London two years ago. Like the book, its subject matter addresses the intersection of culture, perspective and identity. Despite this intellectual background, his writing stays firmly grounded in the personal. "When I look into a mirror the man I see is a version of the person I want to be," he relates on Needs. The record is split roughly in half, with instrumental tracks dispersed throughout and providing a bookending of sorts to the two sides. These songs unfortunately tend to disturb its flow and seem better served in another setting. What coherence is sacrificed is more than compensated for by the strength of the music, making The Names a compelling and enjoyable listen.