Take - "The Dirty Decibels of Thomas 2000" EP

Take - Fall in Love Again (Eat Concrete 2008)

Take - "The Dirty Decibels of Thomas 2000" EP / Eat Concrete

After featuring Inner Current early on last year, we went mum on support for the label and their artists for the most part. With such a great compilation showcasing the roster, I'm at a loss for words as to why I didn't try harder to see what they had on tap. My loss. Thomas Wilson, one of the Brooklyn label's farther-flung artists (He resides on the other side of the country in LA), had an excellent release as Take with the sorely unheralded Earthtones & Concretes late last year and it stands as Inner Current's most recent release. Thankfully, they have not closed shop, and '08 promises to be another step forward for a burgeoning label.

For his part, Wilson has been keeping busy cutting jigs and looking beyond both Inner Current's domestic dealings and his own stylistic persona. This is how the Dirty Decibels of Thomas 2000 EP came to be: Wilson wanted to relax his style and try a 20 song-strong vinyl that went back to the basics by sticking to the beats that made men of stature like two of Wilson's guiding lights, Dilla and Madlib. Unfortunately for him, the self-proclaimed perfectionist couldn't leave well enough alone. Fortunately for us, the nine songs that form both sides (and fill up the free ZIP file directly available from Eat Concrete) turned out as strongly as any recent Ninja Tune or Mo' Wax release.

Descending horns christen the intro as a voice stops the listener in their tracks. "Wait a minute. Out of the darkness, a tall figure appears. Who is he? It's Thomas." Stretched and slowed, the name sticks with you as the low-pitched siren that dominates the beat of "Make Believe" makes its acquaintance. Featuring a distant female vocal and handclaps that anybody currently currying Dublab's favor would be proud of, "Make Believe" is both more fun and just that little bit more frightening than the usual Take fare.

This stylistic shift makes sense given that Wilson is a certified labrat for the LA braintrust himself. It's easy to view Dublab as some kind of musical utopia inhabited by people who regularly rummage on crate digs deeper than a Mariana's Trench expedition to avoid the smog, and it's even easier to see how their astonishing knowledge and love for music can rub off on someone. Sure, these songs sound similar to a lot of stuff Dublab tends to like - the most recent example is 1000 Names from last Wednesday - but it's really nice to hear Take doing his own thing, finding his own road in the same general direction. It's part of what makes music so exciting and endlessly fascinating.

The opener for the b-side, "Fall in Love Again," reminds me of Phat Kat's "I Am There" from last year's Carte Blanche. Its rich orchestral sample is as inviting as anything on either side of the release. "With truth in the music / who could refuse it?" runs the line that opens the song, and in these songs I see a truth that maybe wasn't there before. Wilson has always had a quieter (He prefers "melancholy") approach to beatmaking, but now that we've seen what he's capable of here on what is supposed to be his alter-ego taking over the boards to liven things up, it's tough to distinguish which is better.

This is fortunate, because Thomas Wilson has now merged the more refined moments of his debut album and follow-up EP Plus Ultra with a lighter, less overtly cerebral sound. The product is a smart slab of vinyl that might ironically hold some of his finest work. What was supposed to be a tossed-off plate for the devotees has turned into an all-out redefinition of what Take is all about. Though it's unfortunate that Inner Current won't be carrying this release, the Dutch-based Eat Concrete is ensuring all of Europe gets the point. For the rest of us, there's always that free ZIP and the opportunity to remember again why Take is a gifted artist whose prolific nature should be encouraged, nurtured, rewarded. Why worry about quality control when Wilson's inner perfectionist does all the hard work for us? Your loss if you aren't paying attention from here on out. Now we're even.