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Apr 08, 2010 Issue #30 - Winter 2010 - Vampire Weekend By Nick Hyman

Over half a decade has lapsed since Lali Puna graced us with their last releases, including 2004’s breakthrough LPFaking the Books and the 2005 rarities collection I Thought I Was Over That, and laptop pop hasn’t been the same. The long-awaited full-length Our Inventions doesn’t display a drastic alteration of the band’s sound so much as remind listeners that a clever and vital piece of the musical landscape has been missing.

Our Inventions returns the German band to their trademark warm computer-generated sound after Faking the Books’ detour into more traditional rock instrumentation. The whole occasion is more intimate this time around, with vocalist/keyboardist Valerie Trebeljahr’s sleepytime vocals nearly lulling you into a head-swaying trance. The arrangements tend to be simpler, too, so when bigger, more complex tracks such as “Remember” and “Everything Is Always” appear, they really stand out. Lali Puna’s absence also diminished the spotlight on their label, Berlin-based Morr Music, and fans of the label’s patented glitchy sound will most certainly want to queue up the instrumental “Future Tense” as well as “Move On,” which is oddly reminiscent of U2’s “Numb.” At 10 tracks, the under 40-minute album is a perfectly pleasant reminder that Lali Puna shouldn’t wait so damn long to deliver new material in the future. (www.lalipuna.de)

Author rating: 7/10