Ariel Pink's Haunted GraffitiBefore Today
4AD Records [2010]
Fire Note Says: Ariel Pink creates the perfect alignment!
Album Review:
If you are not familiar with Ariel Pink's previous records then it might take you a second to warm up to his piece work found here on the new and excellent Before Today. He is mostly known for staying in and obsessively recording a countless number of lo-fi songs at home. The tracks typically sound like a beat up old LP playing with a fuzzed up needle. Before Today builds on those recordings and even contains several tracks that have been released before in a different form but sort of polishes Ariel Pink's sound without losing the lo-fi qualities. This record will surprise you, given the already stated facts above, with its smooth flow and pop prowess. It represents one of those moments where all the pieces come together and make a very unique listening experience. All of the tracks here take different forms and cover different eras, genres and styles. You get several styles of rock, 70's R&B and plenty of overlapping harmonies that just help drive each track and make Before Today even more memorable. Ariel Pink may never get the beats, cuts or synthesizers aligned like this again but he finally has released a record that should attract more attention then the underground indie scene and rightfully so, because Before Today just gets better everytime I let it roll!
Key Tracks: "Round And Round", "Butt-House Blondies", "Menopause Man"
Bands With Similar Fire:
The Avalanches
Psycho And The Birds
Animal Collective
Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti MySpace
Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti Facebook
4AD Records
-Reviewed by Christopher Anthony
1 comments:
Listener's who want something beyond your run-of-the-mill production will appreciate this talented musician's work. While not as melodic as Fred Cornog (East River Pipe), he rocks harder. I agree with your rating on this one, which makes up for a couple I really had doubts about in the last few weeks.
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