Life of Leisure

Few emerging artists in 2009 are as aptly-named as Washed Out, a woozy, synth-pop outfit responsible for some of the year's most memorable singles. The band is essentially the solo project of Ernest Greene, a bedroom recording impresario from Georgia, and his first collected EP, Life of Leisure, is a formidable entry into the newly coined genre of "chill wave." Along with artists like Neon Indian and Memory Tapes, Washed Out crafts music that sounds simultaneously futuristic and resolutely retro. Like an old OMD record that's been pulled off the ocean floor, Life of Leisure is a 6-song foray into an electronic dreamscape. Greene is no slouch at crafting dancefloor-appropriate bangers, but it's the downtempo numbers that really sparkle. "Feel It All Around" is his finest hour, a song that marries warbly Boards of Canada-esque synth vibes with lyrics just esoteric and vague enough to essentially be about anything. When Greene's heavily processed vocals blithely croon as the synths shoot skyward and a drum roll casually unwinds in the background, chances are good that you will indeed feel it. Here's hoping that Greene is busy working on a full length debut.