Dan Le Sac – Space Between the Words
aaamusic | On 01, Jul 2012
On 9th July dan le sac releases his album ‘Space Between the Words’, a compilation that sees the DJ showing what he’s capable of outside of the dan le sac vs Scroobius Pip partnership. The album gradually weans you in with the house-pop ‘Long Night of Life’ which builds up from simple a capella into a pleasing arpeggio-laced crescendo. The track’s first single, ‘Play Along’, also carries on in the same fashion, brilliantly combining Sarah Williams White’s understated vocals with an understated bass line and delectable percussion.
‘Memorial’, then, with its Shirley Bassey ‘Goldfinger’ sound going on, is a pretty unexpected follow up to the single. Unexpected, but nonetheless pleasing, although it’s a shame that Emmy the Great’s vocals never seem to truly break free; they’re constantly muffled and side-lined by the force of the pounding instrumental accompaniment. The guitar riff at the end is good, though, and deserves its place in the following minute-long track, ‘Reprisals’.
All of these collaborations add huge variety to the album and ensure that even with its thirteen tracks ‘Space Between the Words’ never repeats itself, although at the same time it also doesn’t exactly allow the songs to flow into one another, meaning that the compilation comes across as rather a mix of assorted tracks instead of a fully formed and fluent album. Nevertheless, the atmospheric feel of the album is something that continues throughout, and the variety at least means that le sac’s work is anything but bland.
Ryan Hook
