After presenting as close to a straightforward rock album as he's likely to get with 2016's
Black Bubblegum,
Eric Copeland explored abstract techno and house with the Palmetto Arts full-length Brooklyn Banks and the double-LP Courtesy, Professionalism, Respect, his fourth release for L.I.E.S. (counting a
Black Dice 12"). Like
Black Bubblegum,
Copeland's 2017 effort
Goofballs arrives on DFA, which has been a home to him since
Black Dice's landmark 2002 album
Beaches & Canyons, but it ends up sounding a bit closer to his L.I.E.S. releases. Most of these tracks consist of thumping drum machines and barely in-sync sequencers, all wrapped in the sort of lo-fi tape-recorded haze expected of experimental musicians venturing into dance music. A couple tracks, especially "Neckbone," have synth basslines which emulate old-school Chicago acid house, while "Disco Ball" is slower and more pounding, bordering on new beat. Some of the warped pop instincts of
Black Bubblegum are present here, especially on opener "Boogieman," which features pitched-down vocals and punning lyrics, and is more silly than spooky. "Doo Whatcha Wah Wah," the album's final song, is a bit more of a lazy amble, with vocals pitched both up and down, sort of approximating a more laid-back
Detroit Grand Pubahs. Other tracks just use vocals as textures, such as the far-off loop in the background of "Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo," which brings to mind
Psychic TV's acid house period. "Close Encounters" features the type of vocal scrambling common to
Copeland's work, but with more of a heavy, club-friendly beat. "Smearjob" is a bit more subtle and sensual, simmering along without a massive kick drum, but it ends up being one of the album's most intoxicating tracks. The album's title is almost too perfect, as these songs are abundantly playful, but it doesn't come off as a novelty record. Instead, it's another fun, creative release from an artist who has been mutating dance music longer than many of his contemporaries. [
Goofballs was also released on LP.] ~ Paul Simpson