Rating:
* * * *
Verdict:
Debut solo album by former Dark Tower lad is his best work yet.
There's something hokey about Jody Lloyd. There always has been, ever since the Kiwi music producer was part of parochial, Fred Dagg-style hip-hop crew Dark Tower. These days, in collaboration with various artists, he releases music as Trillion and now the Melbourne-based musician is going it alone under his own name on debut solo album
Loops of Love
. And what a loping, laid-back, beat-driven marvel it is - while still retaining hints of that hokey charm (especially the blatant Kiwi accent in the vocals, which unlike Dark Tower is kept to a minimum here).
Me and You has a simmering intensity like DJ Shadow at the height of his powers;
Move Your Hips
has a Shaft-meets-
Superfly
pimp roll groove to it; and the deadpan
Recipe For A Perfect Nap
- with the lyrics "One me and one you. Take an empty afternoon and gently combine the ingredients" - is so cute and cool yet ever so slightly kooky.
It's the subtleties, such as the creepy piano on
Empty Hands
like someone sneaking along a creaky staircase, and the out of kilter instruments on Eggs From Eltham, that makes
Loops of Love
a low key yet inspired gem.
In keeping with Lloyd's DIY ethic the album package is also a beautifully makeshift affair, made of cardboard and bound together by strands of cotton. It's an excellent package and the music is the best thing about it.
Scott Kara
The host has been spotted across the Atlantic post-election.