Jimmy Tamborello only had a couple guests along for last year’s James Figurine debut, but Dumb Luck is full of collaborations, something like the indie rock equivalent of that new Timbaland record. Tamborello might not be a super-producer just yet, but he’s partway there — he’s crafted hits for a bunch of the Saddle Creek/Barsuk clan and turned a one-off with Ben Gibbard into the album that became the Postal Service’s unlikely success, Give Up. The eight collaborations here are not likely to spawn another such smash, but there’s plenty of good in the mix: Tamborello’s beats underlie vocals by Ed Droste from Grizzly Bear, Jenny Lewis, and Seattle duo Arthur & Yu on some of the best tracks. Downtempo electronica’s still a tough sell, but Dntel weds glitchy laptop noise with melody like few can. The Lewis and Grizzly Bear tracks are even guitar based, though still processed heavily enough to blur the line between song and remix: it’s electronica that makes electronics feel like an afterthought.
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