Albums
November: 18 albums you need to hear this month
Pangaea, Romare, Mandar and more
D.D Dumbo 'Utopia Defeated' (4AD)
It’s easy to think that samples and loops are the realm of the electronic music artist, but D.D Dumbo – with the aid of a guitar, basic percussion and FX pedals – has created something extraordinary with ‘Utopia Defeated’. Dumbo, aka Oliver Perry, is from a small town in Australia’s remote Victoria bush, but the music he makes sounds like it hugs the world. The influence of earthy sub-Saharan blues is readily apparent on the choppy fretwork of ‘Walrus’, and the raw loops he creates by on-the-fly sampling have universal appeal. Similarly his voice, with its soaring inflections and echoes of Sting and Jeff Buckley, is a hugely effective tool. Look no further than the rattling, twitchy ‘Satan’ for evidence of his unique sound.
7/10
