Track of the Day: Mittland Och Leo - 'Decades'

It’s rare in this age of absurd Discogs prices that dance or electronic vinyl sees the light of repress paradise. However, once in a while it happens…

Take ‘Optimists’, the 2014 album by Belgian electronica/exotica duo, Mittland Och Leo, which I found on a well-known alternative record website. The song which instantly struck me was the epic first track: ‘Decades’.

A pounding drum machine leads the track with perfectly coordinated, spasmodic rhythms. The masterful approach to space and pace give the song a tight groove and unexpected danceability, sending the listener on a high-speed, Starfox-like glide through clouds of clicks, toms, snares and a punchy, low-end kick drum. Purposefully puerile and naive, (think samba demo track a la primary school keyboard) it is the drums which, in part, create a feeling of nostalgia; akin to time-travelling into the imaginary bedroom jam sessions of a 1980s teenager, or, to the twee, yet ironic, sounds of early electronic pioneer Raymond Scott and his song Portifino 2. 

The rich tones of an organ cum synth bathe the song in warm, heavenly light, morphing suddenly, from an angelic three note refrain, into a grandiose, Angelo Badalamenti-esque church organ, full of fire and brimstone. Juxtaposed against this conflict between good and evil is the crescendo: an indescribably beautiful harmony consisting of a simple change in melody and a heart wrenching analogue warble. It is this genuine emotional output which saves Mittland from becoming another duo of nerdy, pretentious hardware enthusiasts and allows them to create music, which not only demands to be listened to and interpreted, but stands alone as music, not another "DJ tool" or one-off.

While ‘Decades’ is a self-professed piece of nerdy, knitted-sweater-wearing electronica, it is far from abstract; expressing human emotions behind it’s electronic exterior and striking a fine balance between cerebral electronics, hazy, pop-orientated melodies and dance floor-ready rhythms.

Now, to get out of my overdraft and review the album…

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Optimists is available now on  JJ Funhouse.

Buy it on digital here: https://mittlandochleo.bandcamp.com/

... and 12" repress here: https://boomkat.com/vinyl/1203145-mittland-och-leo-optimists

Listen to more of them here: https://soundcloud.com/mittlandochleo

... and follow them here: https://www.facebook.com/mittlandochleo?fref=ts