Having dropped his first mixtape in 2013 and released a 20-track spread last year, New York-based Galcher Lustwerk makes his debut on Ghostly International with his latest Information. The release stretches from relaxed to club-lite to full-on swagger, mixing and blending genres across the spectrum.
A lot of the tracks run in the circle of low-key house meets ambient with a kiss of trip-hop. Throw in some airy components of jazz, live percussion, smoky saxophone and Lustwerk's hazy timbre, and there you have the workings of Information.
While it sounds great in theory, in practice the album struggles in its variation and ability to hold attention. Tracks like "I See a Dime," "Overpay, Overstay," "Bit" and "Another Story" all embrace the same formula: 4/4 beat, similar BPM, ethereal, ambient synth work and soft, repetitive or looped vocals, oftentimes blending into a single sound. The (mostly) instrumental tracks, on the other hand, are slowed down and much richer than the others, effectively showcasing the varied instrumentation on the album.
Take "Thermonics," which struts in with simple piano chords, minimal bass, and live drumming, or "Plainview" whose low-ringing synth, bass drum and hi-hat mix with sporadic guitar plucks and wispy vocals. Information is a decent effort that unfortunately doesn't quite bite as hard as it should.
(Ghostly International)A lot of the tracks run in the circle of low-key house meets ambient with a kiss of trip-hop. Throw in some airy components of jazz, live percussion, smoky saxophone and Lustwerk's hazy timbre, and there you have the workings of Information.
While it sounds great in theory, in practice the album struggles in its variation and ability to hold attention. Tracks like "I See a Dime," "Overpay, Overstay," "Bit" and "Another Story" all embrace the same formula: 4/4 beat, similar BPM, ethereal, ambient synth work and soft, repetitive or looped vocals, oftentimes blending into a single sound. The (mostly) instrumental tracks, on the other hand, are slowed down and much richer than the others, effectively showcasing the varied instrumentation on the album.
Take "Thermonics," which struts in with simple piano chords, minimal bass, and live drumming, or "Plainview" whose low-ringing synth, bass drum and hi-hat mix with sporadic guitar plucks and wispy vocals. Information is a decent effort that unfortunately doesn't quite bite as hard as it should.