Chrome Sparks- My <3 (self released-2011)
~by Gabe McBride
85________________________
Weird thing about the internet. A tossed of label like “chillwave”, or even worse, “hypnagogic pop” (barf) becomes so instantly irritating it sends up-to-the-minute music geeks like myself (sniff) into conniptions no sooner than a couple of similar sounding bands release like-minded tracks or albums, and a backlash has begun before a knob twiddling, laptop wielding depressive even knows what had hit him (them? I lost track of subject/verb/object/syntax about 50 characters ago). So, long story short- I had discovered Neon Indian and Washed out when there were maybe two or three taste making bloggers left who hadn’t traded in their cassette only releases by these wet-behind-the-ears-composers-busy-making-the-80’s-mysterious, in for crack money. And, honestly, I think missing out on the retroactive resentment and just letting myself enjoy the music (well, Neon Indian not so much) wound up being a net positive, all said. Which leads me to Chrome Sparks’ new EP, My<3, which on initial listen bears some of the markers associated with the movement of bands playing music that sounds like the stuff their mom was listening to while they were gestating in the womb, exactly as they remember it: pulsing synth wash, programmed hand clap drum beats, and processed, reorganized vocals.
Where My <3 differs from the class of 2009 (2008?) is that it’s a little more up front and demystified. Like Ford and Lopatin, this is mostly unironic electro, with the Reagan/Thatcher era used as a stepping off point. It’s not a reimagining of New Wave so much as it is an update of it, with nods to hip hop and indie, R&B and lo-fi electro. Highly recommended.
Available for ‘name your price’ over at Bandcamp. Which means fork over five bucks, cheapskate! C’mon, starving musicians gotta eat too.
For Fans of: Games, Toro y Moi
No comments:
Post a Comment