Porter Robinson – Worlds

Brave New Worlds

At just twenty-two years old, Porter Robinson, Chapel Hill’s EDM god and former Skrillex disciple, has built a worldwide fan base and racked up such accolades as being seventh in the Billboard 21 under 21 list, #1 in InTheMix’s 25 under 25 list, and fifth in DJ Times’ 2013 ranking for America’s Best DJ—not to mention his three number one EPs on Beatport’s overall chart. Awards aside, he has also played every major music festival from Coachella to Lollapalooza, and spent time as DJ-in-residence in the Las Vegas club scene. Though uneasy lies the head that wears the crown.

Alas, any time an artist pigeonholed by their adoring fans attempts to change their style (think Dylan going electric, or more recently the Black Keys abandoning the blues), the results can go one of two ways: they can either be discarded as sellouts, or embraced as innovators. Porter Robinson has taken just such a chance on his debut full-length, the aptly titled Worlds. Aptly titled because these twelve songs seem at different times to be straddling two very different worlds themselves.

Though the multilayered synths and thumping bass beats are still evident, the rpms have been turned down, guest vocalists have been added and on a few occasions, Robinson sings.

The opening track “Divinity” is an amalgamation of psychotic synths and booming beats, interspersed with ghostly vocals provided by Stars’ Amy Millan. “Fresh Static Snow,” with its hypnotic, bouncing beats and auto-tuned vocals lends a bit of pop sensibility, as does “Polygon Dust,” which features vocals by Norwegian electronic indie duo Lemaitre.

There are few flops: “Natural Light,” though the shortest and quietest track on the album, just seems like cheap filler. The corny chorused “Hear the Bells” was written and performed with Imaginary Cities, though it sounds like it was written and performed by the cast of Glee. Perhaps that was the intention.

Worlds finishes up prettily and wittily with its final two tracks. “Fellow Feeling” has beautiful two-minute-long violin intro that suddenly bleeds into hammering beats and schizophrenic samples of what sounds like the snarls of a wild, pissed off animal, paired with the buzzing of chainsaws and the pounding of drums, and then, as if waking from a nightmare, the grinding and pounding stop and the melodic violins return, sounding as though they had never left, until suddenly the bass kicks in again and the song goes out with what sounds like a little of the old Porter Robinson.

The final track, “Goodbye to a World,” is a synth-saturated, tongue-in-cheek message delivered via an auto-tuned Robinson singing, “Thank you, I’ll say goodbye soon / Though its the end of the world, don’t blame yourself now /
And if it’s true, I will surround you and give life to a world / That’s our own.”

The last joke may be on Robinson himself, though. Worlds is an album that was born in the studio, but only time will tell if it will live on the stage.