The Daily Spin, August 18
BORNS | Dopamine
Welcome back to the Daily Spin, the series in which I review 365 albums during 2023.
Each album will be given a rating on a scale from 0 to 10. You can look at the entire set here. Additionally, you can check out a list of my favorite song from each album right here.
Album: Dopamine (2015)
Artist: BØRNS
Link:
The ideal stepping stone between the dreamy pop of Beach House and the clubbing electronic work of groups like the Chainsmokers, Dopamine is the towering giant at the base of dreamtronica, a gauzy wonder spanning 40 glorious minutes.
It’s a testament to the strength of this record that its most popular songs are, in my opinion, its weakest - because as much as the wailing chorus of ‘Electric Love’ gets me going, it’s the thumping rhythm of ‘Past Lives’ and the classically snazzy ‘Fool’ that solidify the depth of this album.
Last night, we looked at an album that was jazzy in all the wrong places - and I’d go ahead and say that Dopamine is jazzy in all the right places, instead, choosing to carefully implement funky, soulful hooks to launch you into these expansive and bright choruses, sparkling forever into the distance in tandem with BORNS’ classically strong falsetto.
I think this is a record that could be dinged for appearing pretty one-note, but when that one note is this good, I’m not sure that criticism holds much water, and though BORNS is likely not a very good person, this remains an absolutely incredible album, one I find myself coming back to as much as any I’ve ever listened to.
Rating: 9.5/10
Best Tracks: Past Lives; Dug My Heart; Fool; American Money
Worst Tracks: Clouds