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October 04, 2008
Italians Do it Best
The last half of 2007 was more or less dominated by incongruously glamorous disco from my own departed point of origin, the Pacific Northwest. Johnny Jewel and his vocalist harem turned out track after track of stunning, slow-motion Moroder for the Jersey label Italian's Do it Better. To date in 08, the label has been eerily silent. Johnny floated a demo a bit back, but another Jewel is shoring up the imprint's current schedule. Nite Jewel, a mysterious Los Angelina, is set to release a split single with IDIB flagship Glass candy later this month. A full-length follows, oddly on Human Ear Music, at the start of November (I'd guess that deal was in place before the Italians swooped in). Her compositions, all captured on DIY 4-track recorders, sit below. Lo-fi disco: the made up genre that's sweeping the nation/my living room!
Nite Jewel - "What Did He Say?"
"What Did He Say" sounds like a movie's club scene, in which the protagonist has just realized they've been drugged. Time slows down, sounds get warped, and the prop master probably set the smoke machine two settings too high. The novelty here is in hearing what should be slick disco grooves distorted and bloodied, recorded in deepest Idaho-on-election-night red.
Even better perhaps is "Chimera," named for a mythological fire-breather. The low-end synth does stomp around a bit, but there are several melodic counterpoints that are more lovely than menacing. Our girl is more present in the mix here, and less somnambulant than the rest of the label's diva roster. Like maybe she only took one pill, rather than a pick-a-mix handful.
Posted by Jeff Klingman at October 4, 2008 01:15 PM
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