Named after a Frank Zappa quote that “discovery is not dead…it just smells funny,” indeed Discovery is not dead. It is the newborn brainchild of Wes Miles, lead singer of Ra Ra Riot, and Rostam Batmanglij, keyboardist of Vampire Weekend. And it doesn’t smell funny, but it did make me giggle. A first listen to electro R&B opener, “Orange Shirt” left me wondering-- Is this a joke? After listening to all of LP, I realized, that while some of this may be tongue in cheek, it is no joke. In fact, this is serious--seriously awesome.

“Orange Shirt” is a benchmark for what to expect but there’s more to Discovery than meets the eye. LP is what a dub R Kelly spending too much time tripping on summertime in European nightclubs might sound like. Chock full of electro flavors throughout, certain tracks venture into reggae on a song like “Slang Tang,” or DJ remixes (scratches included) on a song like “Can You Discover.” Parts smack of Depeche Mode influence (“So Insane),” and others stray into Postal Service territory (“Osaka Loop Line”)--more often than not, each of their songs combine these elements.

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