It's so off it could be a long lost relative to Ariel Pink. It's too early to call it based on just this one track but the range of vocals here are pretty impressive. From The impassioned 80's OMD echo vocal floating above everything to close mic'd deep verse vocal, falsetto, you name it. It's the multiple personalities disorder that comes from incorporating all the influences.
There's even a ghostly appearance of Tonetta that deep menacing vocal in between the synth and demo beat with punched in raw electric guitar, overboard vibrato glam…. these things shouldn't go together. It's seriously a masterpiece example of one man symphony. All of it somehow balanced. The epic emotionalism, buried under a pastiche of bizarre beats.
It's a pretty perfect name as well (and font), it's the title track from a band with a couple of hits a while back in those dramatic teen movies. They're trying to break out and get serious. Enough with the fringes, and their images, let's go big this time.
I just noticed that this was recorded in Miami. Someone commented on the Tooth Ache post about my being shocked they were based in VT, and that not every band comes from Brooklyn.
Even this coming out of Miami is shocking to me and I don't think I'm insulting an area because I think it's unusual such a specific sound came out of an area way off my radar.
Just logistically it's got to be more difficult to find other musicians, play shows, remain inspired. So, yes it's fucking surprising this came out of FL. Great musicians can obviously come out of a tiny hole of a town in Montana …and thanks to the internet, good or bad they definitely can get their stuff out there easier and connect with anyone… so really geography doesn't matter anyway. No matter what my bias and stereotype of that city is. Maybe it's a reach to think Wham city could only have evolved in Baltimore…I think there's something to that.
Or, maybe all these bands in Brooklyn are at a disadvantage because it's a given that another Gary War, Sacred Bones, Captured Tracks sound is going to come from whatever new band.
But the big difference between Brooklyn and that town in VT, or Miami...and it's the most important one:
No one is from Brooklyn.
They all moved here from somewhere else to be around other creative people and burrow into their weirdo niche and try to scratch out a living.
I actually meant it as a compliment, but every god damn city has a fucking complex when it comes to NY I guess. I love the fucking trees...I'll never have that here. I can't grill a hot dog outside or sit on a porch.
Let's just agree that if the next nobel physicist was born in south dakota that would be pretty weird too, and that doesn't mean wherever I'm from is the best.
I want to be wrong in assuming certain things about an area of the country but they vote republican and are fine with sending their kids to war and watching fox news. You can't tell me it doesn't piss off some awesome band out there who's on the verge of throwing in the towel because they can't get off from work at the shit service industry jobs they have to play their only show at the VW hall.
The other assumption I make, coming from a place like Miami and making music like this is that it might not be by choice. Sure, there is a scene everywhere, the fact that Ricardo Guerrero of This Heart Electric and Tooth Ache are in the places musically that they is even that much more impressive.
I'm ignorant of a scene in Miami but I'm not a Brooklyn elitist.
I think the whole point of the 7" medium is it's accessibility and exposure for a band from anywhere. I'm still going to be surprised that this came out of Miami for a bunch of reasons, mostly because it has nothing to do with what I've seen of Miami on this season of the Jersey Shore.
The B-Side, "Nowhere to Run" confirmed that I can safely say he's well into the weirdo pop world of Ariel. No-fi equipment used in baffling ways. The most useless drum rhythms and layers and layers of instrumentation that belong in another dimension. It's got the sparkle glam feel of a suburban basement before the chaperoned party. The video of the party has dissolve wipes, laser grids. It's mostly inspired by taking neon seriously as a graphic element. It also sounds a little bit like Casey from the Uncle Muscles show.
Its going to take a lot more listens to fully absorb this before I move on to just listening to it because it's awesome.
What the hell is this guy going to do next. The world needs another single immediately.
Get it from Die Stasi Records, email them at diestasi AT gmail DOT com.
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