Trogg Modal, Vol. 1 is described as more carefree than
Eric Copeland's previous album. Given the fact that that one was called
Goofballs, this one seems like it could be really tossed off and jokey.
Copeland's material often seems spontaneous and playful, and this album upholds that spirit, but there's way more concentration on rhythm than on some of his previous outings.
Goofballs and
Black Bubblegum were much more lyrical than
Trogg Modal; here, vocals generally appear in the form of distorted fragments. The album immediately establishes its perky, flippant mood with "Mateo," a simple uptempo beat filled with scattered vocal loops and synth bleeps. "321 Contact" is a minimal synth tune bringing to mind
the Normal's "T.V.O.D.," with sinister vocal murmurs tucked behind its racing rhythm. Things slow down a bit for the drowsy thump and drizzling keyboards of "Heads," but the wobbly "Build-A-Brain" revs back up, with ratty hi-hats whirling over an insistent groove filled with echoed snares. "Fresco" is more representative of the outsider house sound common to
Copeland's sometime-label L.I.E.S., with eerie disco strings peaking out of the tinny drum machines and detached synth squiggles, and a distinct lack of polish, yet it's not caked in grimy tape hiss like the work of some of his contemporaries. Nowhere near as bizarre or druggy as earlier
Copeland releases like Alien in a Garbage Dump,
Trogg Modal is still far removed from conventional dance music, but in that context, it's also one of the artist's more accessible recordings. ~ Paul Simpson