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Books on Tape, "Throw Down Your Laptops"
For Todd Drootin the commonly held belief that most band's earlier records are better than their later ones must hold true. Dinosaur Dinosaur is a fun record, one that I still listen to; Throw Down Your Laptops surpasses it on every level, however. It's not just a better record and a better place to start with Books on Tape, it actually manages to make sense of the term "beatpunk."
Deathbomb Arc
Drootin's whimsical approach to electronic music is fun, a mix and mash of science fiction and b-movies, maybe with a little comic book flair for good flavor, but Dinosaur Dinosaur sounded a little too typical at points to really emphasize and utilize the creativity Drootin labored so hard for. Throw Down Your Laptops is a bit simpler, a little slower, and all the better for it. Drootin economizes on this record, saving crazy moments for just the right time, pacing himself towards groovy, bass heavy outros and capitalizing on the power of simplicity. This early on, Drootin had this idea of "beatpunk" in his head and it makes more sense on this record than it does on Dinosaur Dinosaur. For one, Drootin actually sings on this release, screaming sometimes, and he sounds like a punk right out of the late 70's. When cast against the background of his thumping beats and shifting melodies, there's little doubt about where the punk in this music is.
Portions of this record sound a little off, a little out of sync in terms of musicianship, despite the fact that Drootin uses almost nothing but machines to make his records. A good example of this is "Hey Typical," a track that is almost all drum 'n' bass flavored percussion mixed with a flurry of keyboards and hi hat skips that sound like they're just a little off time, a little behind the rest of the music. It's a strange effect, giving the record a live feel when all the rest of its qualities suggest careful organization. The album is contrived, but is just left of center enough to sound completely sporadic. At moments the music will be solid, a consistent blend of dark drums and organ synthesizers, and the next it will be a claustrophobic explosion of ping pong balls and loose bolts. Despite its robotic themes and sci-fi elements, the album is easy to get into, less influenced by experimental electronic music and more directly related to the chill out music made popular by The Orb. Only this stuff is driving, it's beauty coming in how simple it is, how easy it is to pick out every note Drootin programmed. Drootin hits hard on this record and gets a big thumbs up out of me for it. His directness and love for pounding beats shows more on Throw Down Your Laptops; that makes it more fun to listen to. Drootin sounds best when his talent can keep up with his whacked up imagination.
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