The Polish Ambassador: Superpowers EP Review
Published: August 7, 2012
By: Chris Schwarzkopf
In a deliberate—and rather surprising—change of pace from last year’s Future, Sex, Computers, David Sugalski, better known to fans as The Polish Ambassador, or Ample Mammal if you prefer, has crafted an open love letter to slow jams with his new six-song EP Superpowers.
A singular aspect that defines Sugalski’s songsmithing up to this point is the sheer density of content. He packs as much as he possibly can into each track. One needs only to listen to the music to understand that it literally brims with sound; sound that seems barely controlled, that sloshes wildly in all directions, threatening(in a good way)at any moment to spill over the side. Pick a track at random and you’ll be hit by a pounding wave of broken, or bounced, or wobbled beats and glitched vocals. Some electro is thrown in for good measure, as well. The result is dizzying and compelling, indicative of why The Polish Ambassador commands such a loyal following.
All of these elements are on display in Superpowers, but scaled back, to a certain degree; serving more to emphasize certain moments in each song rather than stand as a theme. Though still structurally in line with previous work, Superpowers’ six tracks employ much simpler, cyclical beats with a great deal more repetition of vocals, less layering of sound and far less breaks. When put up against any of the previous albums, this EP could almost be considered minimalistic.
The sacred art of lovemaking plays a big part in The Ambassador’s music making. The music crackles with implied sexuality; a sudden, excited gasp here, a cluster of none-too-subtle vocal samples there, all woven throughout funky, raunchy beats. Add suggestive titles like “Failed Attempts to Enter Her Underwater Fortress,” “Death by Sex in the Marine Environment” or “Pushing Time” and listeners don’t have to puzzle out the inspirations behind certain tracks.
On Superpowers however, the tone is not blatantly sexual. It is sensual, and even, dare I say, reverential. The focus here genuinely seems to be on the beauty of sexuality, on the romantic aspects of it and on the desire to form, or strengthen, emotional connections through romantic sexual contact. This is reflected in short, simple titles such as “Float With Me,” “Spines Entwined” and “Breathe Her.”
Nevertheless, female vocals are in no short supply, and echoing, modulated moans and sighs are incorporated into the backbeats. Throw in some licks of Spanish guitar and modern soft rock guitar and you’ve got a recipe for a private evening at home.
Superpowers is an ambitious departure for The Polish Ambassador—a somewhat serious turn for the eternally tongue-in-cheek producer—and one has to wonder if Sugalski will start to introduce more chilled music of this sort into future projects. The EP is available in its entirety for free download at www.thepolishambassador.com.
In a deliberate—and rather surprising—change of pace from last year’s Future, Sex, Computers, David Sugalski, better known to fans as The Polish Ambassador, or Ample Mammal if you prefer, has crafted an open love letter to slow jams with his new six-song EP Superpowers.
A singular aspect that defines Sugalski’s songsmithing up to this point is the sheer density of content. He packs as much as he possibly can into each track. One needs only to listen to the music to understand that it literally brims with sound; sound that seems barely controlled, that sloshes wildly in all directions, threatening(in a good way)at any moment to spill over the side. Pick a track at random and you’ll be hit by a pounding wave of broken, or bounced, or wobbled beats and glitched vocals. Some electro is thrown in for good measure, as well. The result is dizzying and compelling, indicative of why The Polish Ambassador commands such a loyal following.
All of these elements are on display in Superpowers, but scaled back, to a certain degree; serving more to emphasize certain moments in each song rather than stand as a theme. Though still structurally in line with previous work, Superpowers’ six tracks employ much simpler, cyclical beats with a great deal more repetition of vocals, less layering of sound and far less breaks. When put up against any of the previous albums, this EP could almost be considered minimalistic.
The sacred art of lovemaking plays a big part in The Ambassador’s music making. The music crackles with implied sexuality; a sudden, excited gasp here, a cluster of none-too-subtle vocal samples there, all woven throughout funky, raunchy beats. Add suggestive titles like “Failed Attempts to Enter Her Underwater Fortress,” “Death by Sex in the Marine Environment” or “Pushing Time” and listeners don’t have to puzzle out the inspirations behind certain tracks.
On Superpowers however, the tone is not blatantly sexual. It is sensual, and even, dare I say, reverential. The focus here genuinely seems to be on the beauty of sexuality, on the romantic aspects of it and on the desire to form, or strengthen, emotional connections through romantic sexual contact. This is reflected in short, simple titles such as “Float With Me,” “Spines Entwined” and “Breathe Her.”
Nevertheless, female vocals are in no short supply, and echoing, modulated moans and sighs are incorporated into the backbeats. Throw in some licks of Spanish guitar and modern soft rock guitar and you’ve got a recipe for a private evening at home.
Superpowers is an ambitious departure for The Polish Ambassador—a somewhat serious turn for the eternally tongue-in-cheek producer—and one has to wonder if Sugalski will start to introduce more chilled music of this sort into future projects. The EP is available in its entirety for free download at www.thepolishambassador.com.
