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The résumé of Los Angeles-based multimedia artist Lionel Williams may seem heady, quoting Egyptian BioGeometry and Russellian science as key influences, but when he performs under the name Vinyl Williams, his music draws from more typical reference points like shoegaze and psychedelic pop.
As the grandson of renowned film composer John Williams, his style is different than one might expect. Instead of being thick and orchestral, his improvised bedroom recordings are akin to the dreamy lo-fi of acts of Deerhunter and Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti. Williams started recording his debut in the spring of 2010, playing all of the instruments himself and building washy textures through multi-tracking. Soon after the album was completed, he employed a full band to tour behind Lemniscate, which was released on No Pain in Pop in 2012. While in Seoul, South Korea, Lionel met up with Toro y Moi's Chaz Bundick and the two soon decided to collaborate, with 2014's Trance Zen Dental Spa being the result. Bundick signed Vinyl Williams to his Company Records, and released the space rock- and shoegaze-influenced Into during July of 2015. His next album was recorded by Bundick and featured guitar work by Ian Gibbs and additional vocals and synth by Medicine's Brad Laner. Released in August of 2016, Brunei reflected Williams' childhood fascination with that country's currency and his hopes for a more harmonious future. ~ Jason Lymangrover