Nobody: And Everything Else...
Plug Research

Though Elvin Estela has attracted attention with Nobody outings like Pacific Drift: Western Water Music Vol. 1 (2003, Ubiquity Records), his profile has received a significant recent boost via his association with Scott Herren (Estela and Prefuse 73 constitute the production outfit La Correccion and Estela's part of the current Prefuse live setup). But anyone misguidedly pegging him a hired hand need only hear his beautiful And Everything Else… to realize that Estela's music holds up just fine on its own.

It's an explorative and eclectic collection of twelve hip-hop instrumentals, vocal cuts, and folk settings that's enhanced by a joyous vibe common to Plug Research albums. Despite its wide range, the album's unifying core is its warm hip-hop beats, with the sweet splat of the snare in the soulful “Jose De La Rues!!!” a typical example. And Everything Else… opens strongly with the breezy instrumental “The Coast is Clear (For Fireworks)” as the muffled boom of tight beats powers a hypnotic 4-note guitar motif. Equally impressive are two later instrumentals “Wake Up and Smell the Millennium,” which pairs a pumping rhythmic punch with harpsichord filigrees, and the La Correccion affair “Tori Oshi,” hip-hop folk that oozes signature Prefuse flavour in its funk beats. On the quieter tip, Estela includes “Tilijem's Forrest,” a peaceful oasis where loping beats wend their way through a misty setting of soft flutes and exotic noises, and the bucolic folk outro “Siesta Con Susana.”

Three dramatically different vocal cuts stand out, with a psychedelicized cover of The Flaming Lips' “What is the Light?” the most memorable. In a collaborative outing with Mystic Chords of Memory (Chris Gunst of Beachwood Sparks and Jen Cohen of the Aisler's Set) and Farmer (Beachwood Sparks), Nobody crafts a dense, swirling arrangement of baroque piano melodies and organ washes alongside mellow ‘60s-styled vocals. Nobody creates a placid backdrop in “You Can Know Her” for Mia Doi Todd's gentle, lulling singing, while “Con Un Relampago” features Spanish vocals from MC Xololanxinco (makes up Of Mexican Descent alongside 2 Mex).

Particularly in its psychedelic-hip-hop moments, Nobody's music recalls Caribou's; “Tilijem's Forrest,” for example, would sound equally at home on The Milk of Human Kindness, and “Go Go Interlude Go” pairs slamming Caribou-styled beats with a distorted voice-over. With its bell chime melody, organ, and phased vocal effects, “Spin the Bright Sun Rose” also exudes a psychedelic feel. Interestingly, though And Everything Else… sounds thoroughly contemporary, Estela's affection for early-‘90s hip-hop production generates an inviting and warm ambiance. If not every moment rises to the same level as, say, “The Coast is Clear (For Fireworks),” the album ultimately establishes itself as a thoroughly pleasurable whole rather than a collection of unrelated songs.

June 2005