You Don’t Have To Worry

How to Dress Well “& It Was U”

I wasn’t very impressed by the first How to Dress Well record – it was evocative, sure, but I didn’t have much use for an album that sounded like the ghost of an R&B singer haunting a locker room. The second record is a lot better, and not just because there’s more obvious structure and physicality. Tom Krell still over-indulges in atmosphere, but he’s composed at least a few well-structured songs that are harmonically interesting and emotionally engaging. “& It Was You” is the best and most sophisticated piece of music he’s ever released. The song calls back to Prince’s experiments with minimal funk in the mid-80s without aping anything in particular, and suggests that Krell may eventually be much better with rhythm and harmony than spacey vibes.

Buy it from Amazon.