The singularity is near! Ray Kurzweil’s book of the same name describes a time where human’s will transcend biology, and listening to “Wilderness” made me conscious of where music sits in relation to this revolutionary precipice. In some ways there is nothing fresh about Active Child’s production - vocals backed by an electronic beat began several decades ago. On the other hand, there is something very new about the ease and availability of technology and where it is leading us. A project like Active Child can simultaneously sound lo and hi-fi. The lo-fi element comes from the warmth of analog. It’s why human’s gravitate towards vinyl, Bob Dylan and Daniel Johnston. We want that hiss and pop and human inflection. The hi-fi production comes from the immense technological resources at our fingertips. A studio full of equipment is now available with one click of the mouse. And it’s finally real. We’ve reached that tipping point. What’s emerged from this are a group of artists (Memory Tapes, Active Child, new Animal Collective, Neon Indian etc…) who give technology an analog heart. The days of “Drum Machines Have No Souls” bumper stickers are over.
So where does that leave Active Child. On the surface Pat Grossi’s project is a dubby, basement producer’s take on Grizzly Bear. It’s lo-fi in all the right places, but facilitated by technology’s democratizing presence.
Most of Wavves sounds like a sludge fuzz blast from a blown out speaker. Its a rough first listen but the initial unpleasantness of Wavves’ no-fi pop sound is completely appropriate in defining the harsh beauty of dorm-room depression and the lonely-stoner laments that run rampant on this surf goth’s (already) second LP in the last year. Some of the album’s sprayed distortion and bummed-loner lyrics become manageable pop anthems (”So Bored”, “No Hope Kids”) for those who identify with the malaise birthed at the exit for the funeral of the American dream. This is the sound of the gritting bruxia of this up and coming generation’s ‘we-don’t-give-a-flying-trapezoid’ outlook on life. If Wavves’ general attitude is actually this boring I wonder what will happen when their swell finally comes in.
With the exception of the Dark Knight, there isn’t a film this year that I have been anticipating more than David Fincher’s take on the F. Scott Fitzgerald short story, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Warner Brothers has just made Alexander Desplat’s complete score available for preview on their For Your Consideration website. Watch the trailer below and grab the mp3 of “Aquarium” from Camille Saint-Saens musical suite Carnival of Animals which is used in the film’s first trailer.
I have absolutely nothing bad to say about Ra Ra Riot’s debut, The Rhumb Line. Personally, its the first album in a long time that I have fallen this hard for in such a short period of time. Its infectiously good, impossibly accessible, and hints at a potential and trajectory that could dethrone some of rock music’s reigning success stories of the past few years. And there really isn’t any embarrassment in it: no cheese-based ballad that makes you cling to the walls, no half baked thought, tone, or lyric. (They are on Barsuk for heck sake!)
On their debut, Ra Ra Riot shows that they thrive at tackling meaning and philosophy in a pop art forum. They take the weird out of a celestially deep Kate Bush song (”Suspened In Gaffa”) and turn it into a lighthearted, stomp-stomp anthem for the questioning, young heart. They bring out the smile in their reworking of E.E. Cummings poem “dying is fine)but Death“, leaving the listener with no question as to the tone of the author’s intent.
But is Ra Ra Riot just tricking the kids into singing along to the ponderings of life’s greater mysteries? If it feels this good to question things than I’ll just hit replay a few more times.
Even with the tempo slowed down to below 100 bpm’s, the Ruby Suns‘ version of El Guincho’s “Palomitos Park” is immediately identifiable with its ancestry. Its a beautiful offspring from the parent recording, but this child is a little softer around the edges, about 40 percent fatter in time, and the most sensitive a cover song could ever be. Maybe its just because I can actually understand the language this time.
Its been over two years since IGIF introduced me to Arms which they appropriately described as “the best thing (they’ve) heard in a long time.” Two years later and Arms first proper release, Kids Aflame, is still as welcome a sound as anything I have heard in a long time. I can’t blame Arms (aka Todd Goldstein) for taking his time with landscaping the diversity on Kids Aflame which showcases perfect anthems for the summer months. From ukulele to big guitars to DIY goodness, Kids Aflame will easily position itself into your summertime playlists for anything from summer afternoon cool down sessions to early evening warm up sessions. It just feels good.
Since Gregg Gillis’ music sounds like it’s been created by a mad scientist, it should come as little surprise to know that Gillis (aka Girl Talk) is actually a mad scientist of sorts - working as a biomedical engineer by day (a career he recently gave up to pursue Girl Talk further). Gillis’ approach to music is a combination of schizophrenia, ADD, a perfect understanding of pace, and the vision to blend tracks from across the musical spectrum. Depending on your perspective, he’s either the best or worst thing to happen to music.
I happen to see potential and evolution in the music Gillis creates. He’s not afraid to utilize technology and play his laptop like you would any Les Paul. The thing that seperates Girl Talk from the hords of bumbling laptop DJs is that he’s extremely talented and each track highlights the level of obsession and precision that goes into making his music. He never uses technology to mask a lack of skill, whereas most people only use it for that purpose.
Much like Night Ripper before it, Feed the Animals, Girl Talk’s second full length album, has one track that shines above the rest. “Hold Up” held that stature on Girl Talk’s debut album and “Still Here” takes the prize here on his latest release. While the hard hitting hip hop heavy tracks hold there on amongst the best dance mixes, it’s the more precariously balanced crossovers that feel the most innovative. By the middle of “Still Here” you have Kayne and Radiohead handling percussion duties for “No Diggity,” while Gillis unexpectedly serenades us with The Band’s “The Weight.”
He may not be making music in the traditional sense, but Girl Talk has mastered the art of collage and pastiche. I’ll dance to that.
for $19.98.
