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September 05, 2006
Six Synth Songs
The title's pretty self-explanatory, no?
Sunset Rubdown - "We Got Broken Eyes (demo)"
I think I got this originally from Said the Gramophone, and if so send them many thanks for further confirming the cruel talent of Spencer Krug. So prolific is the four band man that this epic track never made it past the demo cutting room floor. Here, we have the re-afirmation of synth tones as punk bludgeon, just like Suicide used to make. Ear punching perscussive crunch accompanies Mssr. Krug as he bleakly notes his possession of "Not alot of love/ but not alot of anything." Seeing Krug perform live it's amazing how nail breakingly vicious he is in assaulting his keys, and the strength of that pounding is evident in this recording. When the lack of dynamic begins to get a bit claustrophobic around two minutes on, slight variations creep in. A recurring single drum strike is added, and the pleading "We Got Brooooken Eyes" is added to the repeated lines. Loose-end mantras continue to pile up among the cacaphony, with the more slowly delivered Isaac Brock-ian lyric "Lord/ I think the city's been hypnotized/ I think it's shitty when you wear disguises/ oh", prime among them. At this point, three minutes in, the endless synth loop has lost its abrasive shock value, and become a deep trance. The tension builds musically behind Spence's deep thought stream of consciousness until he breaks out the question, "Do you think I make sad songs/ to be a son of a bitch in the night?" Approaching minute seven of seven, the mood suddenly lightens, as the track is invaded by whistling and backing voices so so low in the mix as to be barely there. But the effect is profound, Krug answering his own query by showing us that's he's not just a terminal sad sack, a son of a bitch in the night. His game's catharsis, and once easily achieved it's replaced by communal goodwill.
This didn't even make an album.
Malaria! - "I Will Be Your Only One"
When I posted my massive Krautrock diatribe a while back, I imagined creating a huge constituency of folks dying for new waves of Teutonic love on a regular basis. Sad little hypothetical children in imaginary leder hosen, tears running down their chubby faces, so upset at my lack of continuation that they're put off their spaeztle. Well, here little made up fella, dig in. While this is technically just a re-working of the stand out track from the previous post, it has an entirely different feel and arrangement. Less overtly catchy than the original but maybe even more sinister. The synth pattern, switched from dance throb to menacing Jaws theme build up and denied the forward thrust of the crunchier guitar, underscores a softer delivery. The previously anthemic group shout singing is broken up and the effect is more witches coven than riot grrl mosh pit. The final notes, with whispered "There will be a time when you're only one" repeated over broken drums, come off less like an angry fuck you and more like a prophetic curse. Guess which one of those is more unsettling.
Charles de Goal - "Synchro"
Another early surrender from the French front line came at the dawn of the eighties, when the nation's bongo-love was tabled for German electro stylings. Released as a single on the hip but forgotten New Rose label in 1980, this gem was brought to my attention as part of the excellently named and compiled So Young, But So Cold disc. In French kraut rock, hedonistic joie de vivre replaces grim faced German resolve. Based on wildly catchy concentric synth circles of locked groove and a "screaming to be sampled" bassline, the repetition here evokes the joined movements of a group boogie rather than Autobahn traffic lines continuing into infinity. Even if you knew any Francais the lyrics are sort of retarded and completely superfluous (except maybe as warning when they yell "Change" before the slightly less hypnotic parts) . My dusty French language brain box is able to make out such Suess-ian lines as "Dance in a kimono! / Dance with your stereo! / Dance in Acalpulco! / Dance!" Thanks for the suggestion, Pierre, but we were already.
Thieves Like Us - "Lady"
Coming back to a more recent, local choice we have NYC's Thieves Like Us (presumably named for the New Order song). Made up of two Swedes and a Yank (perfectly called Pontus, Bjorn, and Andy), TVU is not to be confused with two other bands on MySpace claiming the name. Our men are angling to be the elitist's Thieves Like Us preference, so far only stocking their vinyl singles in four stores: Other Music (New York), Dance Tracks (New York), Rough Trade (London), and Pet Sounds (Stockholm). That's obscure, friends. The included track itself is a tad schizophrenic, matching a thumping drum program with droning synths and a sleepy washed out vocal. The energy of the tempo seems at odds with its makers, who are far removed. At the two minute mark, when you think that they'll be some diverting bridge or guitar explosion, all you get is a burbling fuzz flare up before the beat takes hold agian. The result is strange but cool, a dance party for sleepwalkers.
Broadcast - "Where Youth and Laughter Go"
Recently unearthed as part of the Future Crayon compilation, this 2000 track drapes layers of sound over a brittle music box synth line. Although sheepish help comes from a bass guitar and sleigh bells, the tiny melody is the crucial element supporting the lushly beautiful but fairly formless vocals. As is their way, Broadcast ocasionally overwhelms the fragile core with atmospheric overkill. In the end, to their credit, the lovely chiming returns and maintains. Minorly miraculous, like an unmelting snowflake falling in a concert hall.
the Knife - "Neon"
Finally, we have perhaps THE synth band of the minute, the Knife. Proving too popular for the CMJ fest cameo that they had planned, the shy and fancifully costumed Swedish siblings will now be rocking two shows at the Webster Hall on November the 1st after selling out the large-ish venue months in advance. Being on the ball ticket-wise gets me an early slot; 6 o'clock door time, 5 dollar beers cascading into my empty, straight from work stomach. Not ideal for a dance party, certainly. The kids are good though, so I'll take what I can get. Their current album, Silent Shout, brings the group into more overtly techno territory with oddly textured vocals straining the recognizable humanity in interesting ways. More beloved still is the more conventional, yet still mysterious "Heartbeats" from the previous Deep Cuts. High import prices and relentless "Next Big Thing" searching may have kept some new fans from discovering that the group's older material is more Heart... than ...Shout. From the Knife's 2001 self titled debut, "Neon" is a great, dark little number. Built on nothing but a slinky key loop and some chilly sax for counter-melody, Karin Dreijer marble mouths her way through some classically vague lyrics. "It brings a new type of grace/ and I keep coming back for more/ and it leaves me with a shimmering face/ and I keep coming back for more." A nice description for the effects of her group's timeless aesthetic, actually.
Tags: Synth Music, Sunset Rubdown, Malaria!, Charles de Goal, Thieves Like Us, Broadcast, the Knife, Talented Pets
Posted by Jeff Klingman at September 5, 2006 05:25 PM
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