The early word on Dane Kristian Vester (aka Goodiepal, aka Mainpal Inverted) is that he made his living designing ringtones for cellular phone giant Nokia. Though the rumor turned out to be false, there is in fact a track on this record, his debut full-length, titled "Nokia." There's not a ringtone to be found on it, though; instead, the track consists of a gorgeous flute melody augmented by faint analog synth gurgles and spare use of metallic percussion. It sounds a lot less like the work of an algorithm-obsessed IDM musician and more like the yearning heart of romantic folkie. The fact is that the Goodiepal is both of these things, in proportions that vary from song to song, which makes for quite an interesting record.
Narc Beacon is Goodiepal's first full-length album, but Vester has been releasing material since the early 90s, mostly in the form of 7" singles (including many collaborations with Manchester deviants V/Vm) and split EPs (including a fantastic 12" with Opiate.) When DAT Politics asked him to contribute something to their fledgling label Skipp, he complied with this, a mix of new and previously released tracks. What makes this record stand out is that Goodiepal melds his interest in standard instrumentation (he can passably play the recorder, flute, keyboard, lute, mandolin and guitar) with the more open-ended structures of contemporary electronics. The result is an album that occasionally feels quite organic in the acoustic sense, even as the sounds and melodies careen about wildly in a way made possible by modern sequencing software.
Nowhere is this duality more evident than on "Chupa Chups," a track where the main melody line is carried by a lute, evoking a medieval atmosphere that is toyed with relentlessly as computers have their way with the delightfully strumming. At times, the melody is doubled on recorder and acoustic guitar provides the chord foundation, but the unpredictability of laptop music continually shoves the lead line off course. Cleverly inverting these elements is the stunning "My Robotic Skills Have Failed," which is, no shit, a five-part a capella composition for vocodered voices, meticulously arranged with counterpoint and unusual harmony. You only need to hear it once to remember it forever.
A few tracks appear to draw inspiration from video games, and these are not among my favorites. "Stomp Naffer" is certainly an impressive feat of sound design, but the sing-songy melodies are too reminiscent of "Super Mario Brothers" to have any real emotional impact. But these few duffs are more than offset by tracks like the heartbreaking brief pair of tracks (only 47 seconds each) entitled "Flap Nipper," where a chorus of recorders and flutes play a melody so gorgeous you want to hold your breath when you listen. All told, Narc Beacon is an engaging (and occasionally perplexing) record that hints at great talent. And since a follow-up full-length on Skipp is presently in the works, it may reveal itself fully sooner than expected.
