Pop/Electronica - Singer, songwriter, producer and social activist, Derek Webb has never done things the safe and predictable way. Whether its his ever-evolving musical style(s) or the way it's distributed (he's given away over a million download tracks via his new site noisetrade.com) or the controversial lyrical slant of his socially conscious songs, Webb isn't sitting still for a minute. New ideas, new concepts, new sounds are what drive him. So it's not surprising that Webb's newest project, The Stockholm Syndrome (September 1, INO) has all of those elements and more.

Almost diametrically opposed stylistically to his last album, the excellent retro-styled pop rocker The Ringing Bell, Webb's latest is, he says, "intentionally inorganic." Mostly fueled by hip-hop beats and layers of electronics, Syndrome is a brash, in-your-face collection of dramatic pop melodies bobbing in a sea of lush but sparsely differentiated synthesized rhythms. "(Creative partner Josh Moore) and I spent a year collecting sounds we loved, "says Webb, "beats, loops, odd bits of programming – then weaving those elements into tracks that moved us and made us feel something."

There's a sly, slippery funkiness permeating tracks such as the devastatingly hooky "Cobra Con" and bassline beauty "Jena Jimmy", a sound that's akin to 80's popster Howard Jones mashing up against some Danger Mouse beats. Watch the video for the politically charged anthem "What Matters More" after the jump. Highly recommended.

Myspace Artist Site