On Luck, Tom Vek’s third long player, the London-based artist manages to effortlessly connect the dots between all of his projects and previous albums to make an album that’s both cohesive and progressive.
Maybe it’s to be expected on a Tom Vek LP, but first track “How Am I Meant To Know” like on predecessors (“Hold Your Hand” on Leisure Seizure, “C-C (You Set The Fire In Me)” on We Have Sound) is just jarring and discordant. It could be a test by Vek on each outing: if you can survive this track then you’re prepared for the rest. If you can survive those first 3-4 minutes without skipping then you’re in for a treat….and honestly, to truly experience any album these days you have to listen all the way through.
“Sherman (Animals In The Jungle)” is next and is a hybrid of Vek’s collaboration with DJ Shadow in 2011 with his token sound adding more post punk guitar to the electronic aspects with a low end that just constantly grooves. Elsewhere, the clothing designer and app-innovator continues to expand musically on tracks like “Ton Of Bricks” that starts with a singular synth line until the guitars and percussion rise to a crescendo turning the song into a futuristic version of The Police.
Throughout Luck, though, there’s not one misstep. From “Broke”, which takes beats not unlike those found on We Have Sound to the next level, to the guitar-driven/bass heavy drone of “A Mistake” Vek has produced yet another masterpiece that manages to top his earlier work.
Other highlights (But really, each track is its own highlight) include “The Tongue Avoids The Teeth”, another jangly guitar-driven anthem with a smooth beat, and “Pushing Your Luck” which builds to an unbelievable jam led by Vek’s uncanny vocal delivery.
Luck is out today overseas and on June 10th in North America through Moshi Moshi Records. Pre-orders are available here, here, and here.