David Gravolin puts his best foot forward with solo project Dave, and his sophomore effort Dave II
For over a decade now, I’ve followed every group that David Gravolin has been a part of, yet I still don’t know what kind of music he’s into.
As an artist, Gravolin is spectacularly peculiar, with his previous endeavours in ORB, The Frowning Clouds, Hierophants, and Cereal Killer spanning everything from doom metal and 60’s nugget psych rock, to straight up 80’s inspired hardcore. So naturally, I was curious when I saw he was releasing his second self-made multi-instrumentalist bedroom effort.
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After finishing it off, I can comfortably say that Gravolin is now even more of an enigma.
Dave II doesn’t try to sound like anyone. If it takes influence, it does so very subtly, creating a sound so subversive that it can really only be described as ‘Dave’.
‘Fall In Line’’s sinister synthwave melodies and high-tempo use of MPC’s deliver immersive soundscapes primed for film scores. ‘HH9’’s lo fi trip-hop grooves feel equally as suited for a DJ Shadow release as they do for an Inspectah Deck backing track. ‘Frogs’’s ambient soundscapes and minute use of synths channel ethereal elements akin to Jean-Michel Jarre.
It’s a release that strays far from standard song structures and conventional genres. While it may be too avant-garde for more traditional listeners, Dave II is an album that’ll undoubtedly give more experimental listeners something to sink their teeth into.
Dave II by Dave is out now and can be listened to here.
Label: Anti Fade Records
Release Date: Out Now
