Dienstag, 6. Jun 2006, 1:11
In my weekly feature, I listen to the preview tracks of artists recommended to me by last.fm. The procedure is to start writing the review while the first 30 second preview track is playing and finish by the second. After all, first impressions are what actually count in life; in that spirit I keep it plenty snarky. To fly my ignorance and bias flags at full mast I don't review bands I've heard and I indicate if heard tell of the artist before. In an effort to create a feedback loop of good music, the resonance of which is likely to implode into a black hole of indierock (stare into the abyss and the abyss stares back), the SPICY artists get a plum: I'll add an album of theirs to my collection in the intervening week. Finally, the BLAND artists get a guardian angel: vote on who deserves a second chance, and the winner by plurality will get one.
This week I additionally address the important question: are 30 seconds really enough? The question is begged, enough to what? Enough to form a first impression? The important answer: yes. By the very definition of a first impression, yes, absolutely, yes: a first impression is short, knee jerk, visceral. Perhaps the first impression is biased to bands which have punchlines early on, but starting at the beginning simulates an impression in concert, moreover, whoever listens to the first 10 minutes of a Godspeed You Black Emperor! track withholding all judgement deserves a medal for intestinal fortitude.
Onward, upward! (disclaimer: this week entailed overmuch electroclash and synthpop overall; don't get used to it)
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SPICY/CULT: would attend show.
MEDIUM: would not leave room at party.
BLAND: pain. boredom. doom.
*have heard tell of but not extensively heard
SPICY
*Le Tigra - Bubble gum rock: pop the bubble! armpump!
*Autechre - Ooh, traces of that happy palpitation that is Aphex Twin. Oh baby, you palpitate mah heart.
Out Hud - So dancy, I've heard these tracks somewhere. Vaguely naive, but the vocals, the music mesh, the dynamics contrast, exotic and promising overall.
*Scissor Sisters - Oh. So. Fun. The decade they're from is ambiguous, but I would throw a Scissor Sisters themed party. We'd drink tequila.
Anthony Rother - Yet more synth, the beats are good but I could imagine getting over the songs like that crush I had when I was 16. But the beats, I'll crush on for now.
*Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Very happy, traces of Belle and Sebastian with a bit more whine. I'll clap along.
Pink Grease - Remind me of The Fiery Furnaces meet The Cure. An odd sort of chimeric beast, but I'll buy a second round.
Junior Boys - The levels on the vocals were perfect, and I actually managed to catch the lyrics, which were decent enough. The music sprinkles perfectly under the vocals.
MEDIUM
*Ladytron - Affected but promising, the vocals are an overall detriment but the music redeems. Would dance to, would recommend as a soundtrack, would tire of easily.
Prefuse 73 - experimental, some novel use of frequency contrasts, tempo shifts, and exercise in attention giving, the album is probably a good experience, but no one song holds its own.
BLAND
LCD Soundsystem - Depeche Mode and traces of hackneyed MC Hammer plus Vanilla Ice: oversynthed clap, clap, smack me in the head.
Comets on Fire - Is that the end of the song or the beginning? I have no idea if I'm coming or going? I'm going home.
The Ditty Bops - Country flair and the meshing of the female vocals is fantastic, but the songwriting is bland, trite.
Boards of Canada - Synthy, but the beats are too slow. I'd go to sleep but the bass is disturbing my circadian rhythm.
Coldcut - Repetitive even within the 30 second window. First impressions were invented to weed out such tripe in good stead.
Vitalic - More electroclashy a la carte. The vocals never voted, and the music needed their ballots to carry the election.
Nick Drake - Chill, beautiful vocals, but the instrumentation is so standard it brings back the ethereal vocals, back to the mundane.
Groove Armada - Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. Tries to be funky. Really tries to be cool. Ends up coloring in the lines.
Goldfrapp - Another ambiguous one to plant on the timerail. The sensual vocalist could have made it hotter, but the music froze it back in 1984.
Herbert - I quit listening at second 9. Kthanxbye.