While many people over the last few years dug deep into the recesses of the US Constitution to find where in the thirty third amendment the founding fathers outlined cloth coverings upon the face whilst in the course of being American, Shlomi Lavie ventured into something more dangerous and controversial.

Lavie, releasing music under the name Van Goose, spent the last year exploring “the strangest pockets of the digital world in an effort to understand the effects of modern technology and social media on our minds and spirits.” The result of this venture is the appropriately titled sophomore Van Goose record Post-Truth and Bird Feeders.

Deviating direction from 2019’s Habitual Eater Van Goose has traded the rolling rock foundation for a dream-like reflection gazing from a digitized crystal ball, at times feeling like the result of days spent in the confines of Talking Heads deep cuts. Not one to shy from a direct approach, Van Goose asked “how the fuck did we get here?”

Answering the question so many of us have felt, in various facets, Post-Truth and Bird Feeders both embodies the range of emotions and somehow offers a path forward. The quirky nuance of “Hard Right” and the title-track lead us into the rabbit hole that is both introspection and observation of our surroundings all at once spun on a carrousel of dark synth digitized layers echoing in shadows of curiosity. Through the nine tracks there is plenty to grab on to and even more to discover with each new run of the record. The more you listen to “Where is Claire” the more you start to understand the audio modern interpretive dance vibes it emanates. “Modern Times” sinks heavy hooks into you, including in nostalgic ways. “Insurrection Swag,” although high hopes for a more direct approach, shifts into a credits-rolling sense of soundtrack for, well, you get it. Closing out the record with the nearly-eight-minute “The Substitute” Van Goose explores the less obvious targets and sonic expanses of worldly contributions.

We’ve all reflected on the world at large over the last few years, possibly more often than is healthy. As we struggle to understand the decisions of those around us. Van Goose is no different, but instead of curling into the fetal position and hoping it is all a bad dream, multi-instrumentalist Shlomi Lavie (with the aid of Dylan Keefe and Eamon Lebow) ambitiously dove head first into a self-exploratory adventure that has shaped the captivatingly complex sophomore record. The result are nine catchy examples of how he succeeded. Where we go from here is anybody’s guess. I suppose in the end, there are only two things on my mind, Post-Truth and Bird Feeders…