Montreal experimentalist Doldrums, better known as Airick Woodhead will be releasing his debut album Lesser Evil this February. The run up to this release has seen both a successful EP, Egypt, and a rather catchy single, "She Is The Wave", which features fellow dance / electronic artist Guy Dallas. Ever since I discovered Doldrums four years ago on the Spiral Beach album The Only Really Thing, something has clicked. His EP Empire Sounds, now a thing of the past, but at the time it was extraordinarily raw and hypnotic. Taking advantage of synthesizer sounds and various percussions with his extreme falsetto. Last year, Woodhead found his name on Grimes' third and most commercial album Visions. So although Doldrums isn't quite new to the scene, his repertoire is gradually growing into something most Canadian artist would be proud of.
"Anomaly" will be the second track on Lesser Evil, before
"She Is The Wave". A track we looked last year, "Egypt"
will also make the album, as the fifth track. It would be an understatement to
say that I'm excited about Lesser Evil. Ever since discovering
Woodhead's work, I’ve been expecting a solo release, well now it's scheduled,
the tracks are in place and the critics are warming towards Doldrums.
Instead of the dance themes on his pre-release EP Egypt, Anomaly sounds like
the aftermath of a wedding in the 1980s. Think Berlin, the American synthpop
new wavers who gave us Top Gun's "Take My Breath Away".
"Anomaly" is less catchy and decisive as his previous tracks, or as
louder (when compared to "She Is The Wave".) The expectation isn't
high, but the appreciation given by us reviewers will add an extra level of
expectation when Lesser Evil is released.
~Eddie