​Bells, whistles and good vibrations on “Key Change”

“The most modern thing I can do in 2015 is make music with my bare hands.” That’s the explanation that multi-instrumentalist Dominic Salole gives for the warm, vivid sound of his fifth album, “Key Change,” under the Mocky moniker.

Commenting on the mass digitization of popular music since Pro Tools became a household name, Mocky’s ironic modus operandi may not be far from the truth. A majority of today’s musicians, amateur and professional, have created and continue to create entire songs and albums on laptops, with nary a single note to vibrate through open air.

Mocky isn’t knocking these musicians from some kind of analog ivory tower – he readily admits to editing and mixing most of “Key Change” digitally – but he knows and respects the difference, however slight, between, say, a tube-amplified Fender Rhodes and a MIDI mimicry of one. His open-air philosophy is exactly what makes the largely instrumental “Key Change” such a pleasurable listen.

Beyond a smattering of guest appearances (Feist drumming on “Living in the Snow,” composer/producer Chilly Gonzales at the keys on the breezy “Head in the Clouds”), it’s Mocky and Mocky only. As the opener, “Upbeat Thing,” jives through, the fact of his multi-instrumentality is impressive. As the album draws to a close, it’s downright jaw-dropping; an attentive listener will catch interwoven flutes, harps, vibraphones and entire string quartets among the standard keyboards, guitars, basses and drums, all played with more than a simply curious competency. And this is not to mention his seriously on-point whistling that saunters throughout. The album, however, hardly sounds like the work of a boastful multi-instrumentalist. He writes with a priority on melody, composing the instrumental arrangements to best serve the song.

The fruits of Mocky’s arrangements and dedication to recorded sound are sweet, and the album immediately brings to mind the symphonic soul of Isaac Hayes’ “Shaft” soundtrack, from the flutter-tongued flute pops down to the no-shit naming of songs (“Soulful Beat,” “Late Night Jam,” “Upbeat Thing”). Written with future crate-diggers and samplers in mind, the songs are mostly comprised of melodic, four-bar passages, repeated and layered with buoyant string washes until their inevitable fadeout.

Playing as the soundtrack to an unwritten film, “Key Change” is rife with melodies sweet enough to whistle along to and short enough to not have to draw a second breath in doing so. The album is mostly set to “simmer,” but Mocky shines brightest when indulging himself in his music’s underlying funk. Particularly, the joyful abandon in the squelching synth lines of “Time Inflation (Message to R2)” make for a pleasant break from the album’s lounge atmosphere. Beginning with mantra-like slow burn, the standout, “Tomorrow Maker,” breaks unexpectedly into a thick, popping bass riff as a disco groove rises underneath.

Though the understated, instrumental nature of “Key Change” may turn off those looking to round out their “summer jams” playlists, it’s worthy of a close listen, if only to appreciate Mocky’s instrumental prowess and bare-hand approach.

Recommended tracks: “Tomorrow Maker,” “Time Inflation (Message to R2),” “Upbeat Thing”

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