DISCOVERY are actually an indie 'supergroup' of sorts, though don't expect another Last Shadow Puppets, because the two main protagonists Rostam Batmanglij (Vampire Weekend) and Ra Ra Riot's Wes Miles are out to create something much more low-key and experimental.
Which isn't to say the baldly-titled 'LP' won't sneak in under the pop radar, because its' deconstructed, minimal melodies have a playfulness about them and a need to fraternise with winning choruses when the mood strikes. It's just that when you think of great pop manifestos, you might not automatically conjure splatchy analogous synths, basic drum machines and beats manufactured from handclaps. Well, not unless you take Suicide as the starting point for great pop anyway.
Yet Discovery's modus operandi appears to be to more along the lines of cramming some soul into electronica – or maybe vice-versa? - but whatever, it's an intriguing idea and one which yields a few glorious successes along the way. The opening 'Orange Shirt' is one such highly-recommended critter, coming across like a hybrid of The Postal Service and Robert Rental, but with some sweet, sad vocals and a slightly salacious lyrical slant (“so I promise to leave before your mother wakes up”) which only adds to the attraction.
The weird dissonance and floaty, Pole-style minimalism of 'Osaka Loop Line' follows through impressively and things are really hotting up by the time they get to the distorto vocal attack of 'Can You Discover?', where the stunted Ska-style rhythm (whether intentionally or not) seems to ape The Police-style pop Vampire Weekend often peddle.
Unfortunately, they also have a tendency to hobble themselves in their fearless quest for stripping things back to the bone. 'I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend' might feature a guest slot from Dirty Projectors' Angel Deradoorian, but its' chopped, phased and re-arranged to glory and ends up cutting itself off at the knees as a result. 'I Want You Back' suffers a similar fate - though it appears to be a bizarre bastardisation of a famous disco-pop tune that I'm driving myself batty trying to pinpoint – and the bizarre 'So Insane' sounds like a thumbnail sketch at best, though at least it's mercifully short.
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They get their second wind, mind. 'Swing Tree' swaggers along on a riff sounding like a slowed-down version of The Tom Tom Club's 'Genius of Love'. The confident 'Carby' – featuring Vampire Weekend's Ezra Koenig – could easily be a single and the sheer sparsity and discipline of the blank 'It's Not My Fault (It's My Fault)' numbs you into submission in spite of yourself.
Riding ambient rails with reasonably regular diversions into synth-pop sidings, 'LP' is in no particular hurry to get to any specific destination, but it's worth considering if you fancy a day out in less familiar surroundings. Discovery haven't quite sussed what they're looking for as yet, but they sound like they have the potential to be a real find.
(http://www.myspace.com/discoverdiscovery)
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