If you’ve not heard ‘Human Meadow’ yet, you really ought to listen to BBC Radio 1’s Queen of Bass, Mary Ann Hobbs (see this week’s Experimental Show links below) as it’s the most progressive “Post-garage ambience, round, warm melodies and skippy 2-step beats” since Burial’s Untrue.

With varying amounts of hip-hop, dubstep, soul and electronica, New York’s Falty DL (aka Drew Lustman) has creating his own parallel world of cosmic love with Love Is A Liability.

Previously releases on Napalm Enema and Ramp Records, the newest recruit to Plant Mu has his own sound that is a curse for journo’s as one minute it’s in one box and then another. Like ‘Winter Sole’ shows that you can still have bass tunnell throb, manic dubness in the background and ambient synths all at the same time. As you’d imagine, ‘To New York’ is more in your face speed-dubstep - can you imagine a Brian Auger’s Oblivion Express for the 21st century?

Whilst pondering the 60s, ‘The Shape To Come’ [Not ‘Of Things’] is more downtempo but no less addictive. And then there’s the instantly compulsive ‘Our loss that links soul, reggae, dubstep and electronic soundscapes that’s absolutely magical.

And the tracks keep coming; ‘Truth’ is deeper than Milford Haven harbour and ‘Anxiety’ goes gothic on the organ, ‘Pink On The Inside’ and ‘Paradise Lost’ build up to the closing track, ‘The Shape Has Come’.

It might take a couple of listens to sink in how good this album is top quality and check out the ‘making of’ mix below.

Reviewed: Falty DL - Love Is A Liability (Planet Mu) Cat. No. ZIQ232 Release date: 25th May 2009 Double Vinyl LP/CD
Tracklisting
1. Human Meadow (1:41)
2. Dionysos (1:10)
3. Encompass (1:51)
4. Winter Sole (1:57)
5. To New York (1:25)
6. The Shape To Come (2:10)
7. Our Loss (1:57)
8. Truth (1:48)
9. Enuia (1:58)
10. Anxiety (1:32)
11. Pink On The Inside (1:51)
12. Paradise Lost (2:27)
13. The Shape Has Come (2:23)

Links:
faltydl.com
www.myspace.com/faltydl
www.planet-mu.com
BBC Radio 1 - Mary Ann Hobbs - Experimental Show: May 12th 2009 :: Architeq vs PANTyRAiD vs Falty DL
Falty DL in the Mix
Falty DL - ‘Paradise Lost’ (Planet Mu)
Falty DL - ‘Encompass’ (Planet Mu)
Falty DL - ‘Party’ (Ramp’ Recordings)
Falty DL - ‘Anxiety’ (Planet Mu)
Falty DL - ‘Human Meadow’ (Planet Mu)
Falty DL - ‘Laidback’ (Unreleased)
Falty DL - ‘In You’ (Planet Mu)
Falty DL - ‘Dionysos’ (Planet Mu)
Falty DL - ‘Lay’ (unreleased)
Falty DL - ‘Winter Sole’ (Planet Mu)
Falty DL - ‘And I Really Know’ (Unreleased)