Album Review: Yppah Eighty One

1 May 2012 | 10:38 pm | Kris Swales

Yet by drawing you into its grooves rather than almost knocking you over with them, Eighty One falls short of the high watermark left by its predecessor.

They Know What Ghost Know, Joe Corrales Jr's 2009 long-player under the Yppah (say it backwards) moniker, leapt out of the speakers like an endorphin rush; a glorious collision of post-rock and downtempo electronica which always teetered just on the brink of being too overdriven without ever sacrificing melody for power. It was an exhilarating ride all the way, made all the more special by the rawness which you hoped would never be refined.

The Long Beach, California resident's third outing for the esteemed Ninja Tune imprint sees Corrales Jr take to his sonic assault with low grit sandpaper then buff to an almost perfect sheen, meaning Eighty One doesn't have the immediate impact of its predecessor. Also setting Eighty One apart is vocalist Anomie Belle, whose contribution on four tracks – including slow-burning lead single, Film Burn – pulls the Yppah sound closer to the realms of late-'90s blunted trip hop than the psychedelic wig-outs he'd previously made his own. Not that there's anything wrong with that sound in itself, but his original path on a road less travelled was arguably far more intriguing.

Still, there's plenty to like about Yppah's new direction – the arpeggiated guitar/synth interplay and lilting piano notes of Never Mess With Sunday wouldn't sound entirely out of place on an M83 magnum opus, while the whale song of Happy To See You washes over you like the incoming tide before a back-masked breakdown chant leaps into a rousing circular rhythm finale. Yet by drawing you into its grooves rather than almost knocking you over with them, Eighty One falls short of the high watermark left by its predecessor.