Since 2003, Karl Blau has been operating Kelp! Monthly Releasing Corporation, in which subscribers receive regular installments of music he's produced from his home base of Anacortes, Washington. It's an unpredictable affair. One month might find a new pop album mixed in with the bills; the next could bring an experimental edition of field recordings. The sheer diversity of the Kelp! Monthly series speaks to Blau's enthusiasm for music of all kinds, a sense of excitement-- for melody, for experimentation, and for the possibility of what music can be-- that's front and center on Beneath Waves, his K Records debut.
While Blau's vocal presence convincingly knits the 10 songs together, taken individually they hardly seem drawn from the same well. "Crashing Waves" is a folky sing-along that channels Will Oldham's sweetly melancholic voice. "Into the Nada" is a hazy take on dub, as throbbing bass and delay-drenched guitars compete with horns and Blau's lilting vocals. And on "Slow Down Joe" and "Dragon Song", Blau strums skuzzy guitar, proving he's not above some solid rock action. It's an inclusive aesthetic, one in which Blau gorges himself on a buffet of disparate genres and styles.
Consistent production values also help hold Beneath Waves together. The recordings are often inexact, even sloppy-- a horn sounds out of tune or a drum lags on a beat-- but the lack of polish is charming. The imperfections charge the set with a contagious sense of fun, as if an excited Blau would rather move on to the next song than labor over a perfect take. Even though the recordings are lo-fi, the arrangements throughout are lush.
"Crashing Waves", which opens the album, is the best example of the record's approach. Throughout its seven-and-a-half minutes, Blau piles on textures that range from the subtle addition of sleigh bells to huge, chiming chords. In its middle section, the song plunges into silence, steered by a simple guitar arpeggio and Blau's siren-like cooing. Gradually, tinkling treated piano and woozy horns lead the rest of the band back into the song before surfacing for the climactic finale. "Crashing Waves" is a straightforward tune at its core, but Blau's thoughtful production disguises its simplicity.
Each song here is buoyed by Blau's distinct songwriting sensibility, as he impressively navigates folk, dub, grungy rockers, and more. While the songs on Beneath Waves are all over the map, Blau never struggles under the weight of the various influences that decorate his material.
