The thing about Ventla is that after a really prolific streak that saw him practically release a new album every month, he sorta took a break for a bit last year. Well, he’s back, and gone bigger than ever before. Shuji Suzuki’s latest, For Human Consumption, comes via New York imprint Astro Nautico, and features 24 songs of digital sounds intersecting with acoustic flourishes. Which brings up another important thing about Ventla…dude gets shine for releasing so many albums, but the real draw (to me at least), was how every single album tended to establish its own vibe. He’d do a set of songs reminiscent of like Hosono House, and the next album would be a synth-pop marathon. For Human Consumption sorta bridges the gap between a lot of the different styles Ventla has dabbled in, with a few new twists introduced too (check the Parisian street concert of “Mental Health,” or what sounds like a kazoo freak-out on “Copymate”). Elsewhere, he sounds a bit like a wobbly Lullatone (“Paloma”) and gets whistle happy frequently (the bell-accented “National Project”) being a highlight. Listen above, or get it here.
