Dntel - Dumb Luck

The Best of 2007: Part Three

Jimmy Tamborello has never really let me down. I remember listening to Dntel's first full length, Life is Full of Possibilities, and I was blown away. There were beautiful, quiet moments. There were great hooks and there were subtle ambient parts. I never thought that Tamborello would be able to top this album, especially the song "(This is) The Dream of Evan and Chan," which is easily one of the sweetest songs of our generation.

Of course, when talking about Tamborello efforts, the Postal Service can't be ignored. The hooks were just too huge to be ignored, even by Top 40 radio. When you think about "Such Great Heights," it's hard not to think of how different the music of the Postal Service was compared to what Dntel had already done up to this point. The most pop Tamborello had done was really "The Dream of Evan and Chan" and the Figurine album, which was almost as ignored as Strictly Ballroom's recorded work. When Tamborello returned to the more ambient, typically Dublab recordings with the James Figurine album, it was a bit confusing. Just like anyone else, I figured that the bigger hooks would show up a bit more. Everything was in the details with that album.

When the tracklisting for Dntel's new album leaked, I realized that James was looking to compartmentalize his musical life. The album was set to be released on Sub Pop, which is much larger than the Plug Research label that put out the first Dntel record. When the record finally came out, it was a pleasant surprise. Gratuitous, seemingly useless guest spots from people like Jenny Lewis and Conor Oberst were negated by the subtle guest spots from Mia Doi Todd, Mystic Chords of Memory and Sub Pop's new great act, Arthur & Yu, who collaborated on the song "The Distance," one of Tamborello's best songs.

Listen to this one in the dark. There's a good chance I'll be doing the same all winter.

Dumb Luck