TDeL2 - Barnegat (Monkey Records) 
TDeL2 - Barnegat

The improbably named Nebraskan resident Tony De Luca, aka TDeL2, is back with a thirteen track album that ranges from chilled out electronica to acoustic introspectiveness and I, for one, am mighty pleased. 'Counting Trees and USBs' starts proceedings with some instrumental and uplifting sounds before the electro romance of 'Fearless Youth'. The gentle introduction to 'Valves and Sneakers' gives way to a more urgent, A-ha inspired indie-pop romp before 'Kenwood' takes over with its subtle acoustic picking and ambient keys. 'Two Systems' and 'Greta' show off TDeL2's more commercial appeal and hints at his best possible route to widespread success in terms of getting his accessible ambient music to the largest audience possible. The electro swamp noise and campfire crackle that open up 'In Your Mind' blend beautifully with the processed beats and sparse piano melody before that piano motif is continued in to 'Selection Sunday' which, I assume, refers to that day of rest dilemma where you have to decide which old film to watch and what junk food you are going to eat to accompany it - either way, it's perfectly chilled out Sunday music until the huge, stadium filling crescendo shakes you awake.

TDeL2 has a beautiful approach to electronic, ambient music that is as dispassionate as it is tear jerking. The somnambulance of 'Running' is a great example of this ethos until the driving, forging drums kick in and the background voices swirl around your head like the words that appear mid-fever. The 80s synths of 'Tulips' and 'Neon Keys' are immediately immersive and combine the best of electro with the best computer game music from down the years - the only artist to come close recently for me is UK based Ions In the Ether. Penultimate track 'All I Know' is a frantic but uplifting slice of electronica that leads directly in to album closer 'There, The Morning Light' which is a piano riff lead piece of dance music that would be a perfect start to a day when you just want to get things done - whether it's cleaning out the shed or running a marathon, this music would be sure to get you pumped up. TDeL2 is one of those musicians who is probably happy producing this stuff in his 'den' and sending it around the world but, with the right marketing, this could be huge stuff in the mainstream market.