November 22, 2012

Naytronix - 'Dirty Glow'

Loosely based around a vision of post-apocalyptic robots

7 / 10 Thom Yorke claims his new project Atoms For Peace has made an album “where you weren’t quite sure where the human starts and the machine ends”. But Tune-Yards bassist Nate Brenner has beaten him to it. His debut solo effort is loosely based around a vision of post-apocalyptic robots and humans making music out of junk. Suitably warped and wasted, at its most coherent it sounds like Bootsy Collins funking out with a very drunk Gorillaz. At its least coherent, it gets even more interesting: ‘Baby Don’t Walk Away’ weaves wonkily from krautrock to a synth-fried sort of ‘Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da’ pastiche played entirely, it would seem, by geese, while ‘Turn Around’ is free-jazztronic experimentation. An appreciation of jarring off-key vocals is essential to really love Naytronix, but at the root of all the batshit tinkles, twonks, robot vocals and dial-up noises is a smooth melodic funk pop perfect for seducing the microwave of your dreams.

Mark Beaumont

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