EDM Game Change: Spruke 'Lies Synthpop Told Me'

June 13, 2013 - 7:27 pm by Ryan Abrams

Buffalo-based DJ-producer Spruke - born Bill Boulden - dropped his latest album "Lies Synthpop Told Me" earlier this month, and VIBE's got some track-by-track insight on the album stirring the dance cauldron.

We must be forward. He has style and some ADD influence, but his true self is buried in the album someplace in the middle.

1. Morning Sex
Precious and 30H!3-esqe, this song possesses the juvenile and emo-tronica stuff that college kids love.

2. Change of Pace
Spruke has a knack for melodies, and there's some potential here when his balls (sorry, we mean bass) decide to drop. He doesn't figure out how to make vocoded vocals work for him until later on.

3. Shoot The Bad Guys
At first listen, one may find the lyrics simply embarrassing. Look closer. Compositionally, it starts coming together. Think Trent Reznor...

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4. Hey Man, Watch This Now, this is his "Frat-party-d*cks-out-while-keg-standing" track. 5. I Gave In Cute. Catchy. 6. Colorbled Anthemic driving, fuzzed-out guitar riff harmonizes compatibility with a more traditional club vibe. 7, 8. Bad News Pts I, II and III Show stopper. A grand symphonic intro, well-placed repetitive vocals and perfectly executed effects and filters. The vocals are perfectly melodic, because he realized his voice through a vocoder is an instrument. The brief dub hits all fit to a well-arranged anthem.
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9. Smoke Signals The title track. Nice, melodic and slow, but forgettable. Moving on... 10. Dollhouse Here's that early NIN influence shining through. He takes the sensibilities of the first few tracks, but embraces the hard edges with dark and cynical lyrics. 11. Sold A nice, angst-filled homage to darker, early '80's Brit synth-pop. 12. All My Dreams Are Nightmares Nice little capper with a slow build that journeys to melodic and stays focused.
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