Diesein
I Like It / I Hate It
Sweet Sensation
The distinction between Laslo Antal’s solo material as Diesein and his work as half of celebrated minimal synth institution Sixth June is subtle, but certainly detectable on new album I Like It / I Hate It. Aside from the obvious emphasis on Antal as a vocalist, the smooth continental sounds that both projects share are pared down, trading some of the lushness for spacey arrangements and simple (if not spare) instrumentation, a fine compliment for the unshowy melancholia of the material.
As with Diesein’s preceding two LPs, the form these tracks take is of the more mannered and reserved end of classic synthpop, as rendered with a consistent but still varied collection of analogue synthesizers, guitar, bass and lively drum machines. While the overall mood of the material is downcast, there’s still plenty of pep here; right from the jump opener “Pain” sets a fine pace, pushed forward by synth brass and simple kick-snare rhythm patterns, with Antal’s vocals riding atop smooth pads. When the tempo slows, it’s usually in service of emphasizing a groove, allowing for laid-back funk on “Bad Dream” and the slowly swirling pads of “I Don’t Want You”, a fine example of the soulful sax-goth sound Antal has been pioneering for decades.
All that tastefulness in design and execution is something of a mixed blessing, offering ease of listening in exchange for some of the more outre modes that Antal has indulged in his other works. On the one hand you get cuts like the charming “Virgo Moon”, where pianist Andy Pavlov brings some wonderful timbres and textures to the proceedings, trilling his way through the programmed elements with classy musicianship. On the other hand you get cuts like “Monday Morning” where some in spite of some pleasing fretless bass the whole track feels just a little staid, too understated for its own good.
I Like It / I Hate It is certainly a record written and recorded with a very specific sound in mind. Despite the divisiveness suggested by its name, its a record that puts evenness above all other concerns, making it enjoyable, but not jaw-dropping or exciting. Laslo Antal has become something of an expert at this kind of thing with Diesein, and you won’t find many records that speak the language of restrained, polite ennui quite so fluently.
