Way back in 2008, Asthmatic Kitty was pressing a split singles series called Unusual Animals and Vol 4.,was a split with Cryptacize and Why? and Cryptacize covered Steely Dan's "Peg", a track completely lost on me at the time. This is crazy for two reasons...since then I've come around big time to Aja, thanks in part to that series on netflix of music docs on watch instantly, (the Aja one is crazy) and to my smartypants wife who has been convincing me of his genius. Secondly and more importantly I'm just finding out today that Cryptacize was fronted by Nedelle Torrisi, the vocal talent on this single on Thin Wrist Records and her new project, Paradise. Between the mutual appreciation for Steely Dan and that Paradise includes Kenny from Ariel Pink producing and playing on this, I had to check this out today. At least one of these two are going to be on a full length that I'm told will be out shortly.
"I Love Thousands Every Summer" on the A-Side rises into being like a dawn of circuits Vangelis soundtrack. A layered swirl of space electronics materialize into smooth sine waves with a tapping gated snare and muted electric. Nedelle's vocals though are the thing for me working this into something related to the late '70s, heavily produced, laid-back feel. It's a labor intensive sound of nostalgia with bits of the future that shine through unexpectedly. Partially due to her empathetic vocal delivery and even down to this progression of melody, it's strip mining those lofty combinations into slightly more economic fragments. With Kenny's help those layers give away their sincere enthusiasm for epic sounds and massive orchestration....but this is a romanticized memory that can't last another second, dropping back to the spaced out early synth settings, but with thousands still waiting, it's time to move on.
"Psychic Returns" on the B-Side breaks down their slow pop further with more of Nedelle's mesmerizing vocal taking front and center. This is a kind of slow methodic pop with a dreamy tone built around her classically trained vocal without the hint of effect, all in service of these sort of collective unconscious love songs. The whole thing in service of this abstract undefinable feel. Like the instrumentation, it's only hinting at a clear narrative or even time period, tying together pieces of those indescribable elements of a relationship. The whole thing, full of weird melodies, builds up just to a plateau before a brief pause of momentum for that '70s sunday afternoon style of polished to come shining through. An orchestration builds back up over the see saw tom rhythm and far off cavernous snare smacks and strikes of a piano. It's another dreamy landscape with plenty of backup harmonies and going right for the tradition of gleaming pop.
"He'll never love me like you do."
A lovers plea in that lusty disco tradition. All emotions on the table. Clear as anything and breaking hearts in the process.
Pick this up from Paradise direct at their bandcamp. Nine 7" x 7" full color inserts housed in letterpressed vellum envelope, listen below.
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