Ricardo Villalobos – Dependent And Happy - One

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The 'Dependent and Happy" LP is an interesting, challenging and laid-back release. My review will focus on the first vinyl edition of this series - 'Part 1'.
Starting off with track A1, the vocalist and slightly nerdy synth line took me by surprise. As the starting point for this series, I was shocked by the playful and somewhat average sounding leading track. Not really a track I would play out, or use as a "DJ tool". It just sort of meanders along is a corny way. In classic Ricardo fashion, the song does progressively get a bit more interesting as the Sub / bass drum kicks in and the repetitive vocal gets buried and used more as a minimal snippet. The vocals do make a last minute return that is extra loud in the mix, and breaks into an ending that trails off into a superfluous conversation.
Track B1 grabbed my attention immediately with heavy bass, and tribal rhythms. Wooden sounding percussion falls into synchronization and after a small spell, ambient and delicate sounds emerge to create a slightly disted melody. The effect is really nice and reminds me of other Songs by Ricado that I consider 'classics' of the genre.
Track C1 has an aggressive intro. A strong attitude is present in the tracks sonics and briefly made my mind think the song was playing backwards. There is a random element that my ears keep picking up on, and it is strongest on this song. it is reminiscent of taking MIDI data and randomly pasting it into various instrument tracks with no care about where they are on the time line. This is not to say that the songs don't have structure, because they certainly do, but thus far, randomness is a consistent factor on this release.
Track C2 may be the star on this album. Solid rhythmic foundations, a clear and concise mix and immediate groove pulls you into it's swing. Tablas come out swinging and the Indian syllabic counting crushes with its deft mixing and use. This song could have benefitted from having the length that tracks A1 and B1 were privy to, but none the less is a fun track.
Track D1 has a welcome avant garde quality and depth of sound. Over all there are a lot of vocals sampled on this album, and I find them used as if they were ing fancies. With the exception of "I'm Counting", the songs that feature a vocal sample and or bit, do not really need them. They do not add layers of depth, nor do they have me recollecting them later in my head. D1 is more ambient then the previous songs, and this is a good thing. Ricardo has always impressed me then he takes the BPM down a little and explores the aural fauna.
The final track D2 "Mochnochich" leaves me a bit underwhelmed. Fixating on the fact that I just spent $26.99 on this record, I realize I am not basking in the sensation of aural bliss. In fact, it is more of a state of confusion that I am in. Being a long term fan of Ricardo's often brilliant work, I ask my self, when I may be in the mood to play this record again? It is not one to put on during a date, or a dinner party. I doubt if I threw this down at a party, that it would get the couch crews off the cushions and onto the dance floor. Frankly, I am not sure what to do with this album. Yea, it will look nice in my record collection, but I am buying this record for the music and I am not feeling the love. Hopefully, this release will grow on me and my appreciation will manifest.

Added Sept 22, 2012.
After sitting with this album and having it grow on me, I can honestly say it is allot of fun. Every track has a lot of dynamics and they all demonstrate the great imagination of the artist himself.