I recently stumbled upon d_rradio, an electronic act that is capable of curing the apathy of the most stringent of cynics. Their music falls somewhere in the realm between elevator music and IDM, what I’d refer to as "elevator crack," or a curious blend of mood shifting electronica that can be both invigorating and soulfully collected. d_rradio has no shortage of interesting music, and, in fact, its diversity across three quarters of an hour is perhaps its largest asset.

The journey starts with “Paper Soul,” a track that can be interpreted in many ways, as much of d_rradio’s music can be. The tune has a fast paced beat, but also an ambient background that elsewhere would seem slow. Guitars coalesce the piece into a unified whole, reconciling the otherwise jarring sounds and placating the listener with smooth melodies and terraforming percussion. The next few tracks explore a similar area, placing different emphasis on individual components, but doing well to map out a stylistic plan of action on d_rradio .

“Bag of Lovely” is the first track that makes a significant change from its predecessors; dropping most of the ambient pretense, the track mixes IDM and minimal techno (minimal IDM?) to great effect, coming across as a sublime slice of musical bliss. Through these offshoots, the listener gains an appreciation not only for the band's understanding of the various facets of electronic music, but also their ability to grab from different styles and incorporate it into an album which is uniquely their own.  These tracks become the more addictive tracks on the release, and standout among otherwise stellar works.

After “Bag of Lovely,” the album starts to take a trip down a more somber route and in doing so releases many of the genre markers that guided the first few tracks. This is where we see d_rradio's creativity takes full command of the album, and it's delightful to witness the work unfold from this point forward. Additionally, these tracks give us a glimpse of how talented d_rradio truly are -- it takes skill to change the pace of electronic tracks and still have enough gusto to keep listeners wanting to go onward and not pining for the typically abrasive electronic sound. Listeners are rewarded for their patience with the albums stand out track “Lifted,” which, as the title proclaims, lifts the mood of the album into an explosion of greatness. A soft piano riff is accompanied by a hyper beat and melded together with electronics to create one of the best tracks I’ve had the pleasure of gracing my ears with in a long time.

While this is not d_rradio’s first album, it’s their first real success that will undoubtedly force many to keep them on their radar. The band's music has the ability to seem refreshing yet still feel familiar, making it an easy album to get into that doesn't grow old or tired after repeated listens. d_rradio will undoubtedly go down as one of the premier electronic releases of the year.

-Erich Meister