Sunday 10 June 2012

The 200k Dozen: #210 - Jam City, "Classical Curves"

I wish I knew more about the kinds of instruments that are used in various eras of music. I'd have a chance then of piecing them together when I hear them in other music. Here for example on this Jam City album, I'd love to be able to tease out the different sounds, taxonomise their electronic arses and label them with their emotional significance to me. (Because that's all this is about, friends, labelling my emotions...)

The stabbing, high-pitched bass synth on track three, "The Courts", for example. I'd love to pin that geezer down. I'm assuming that the title and the music is a reference to basketball; it has a sweated-over quality that I'd associate with the game. Musical grunts and sneaker squeaks. I like the title, "How We Relate to the Body" - that sounds rights up my street. Musically, it suggests we relate to the body with small, dry motions in a high register while a metallic voice urges us to jack our bodies. I'm not sure it's how I relate to my body; unless I'm very tired and switchy.


"Hyatt Park Nights Pt. 2" involves some bassier noises, comes across like a big night out remembered in disjointed fashion. Crashed digital camera footage overriding fuzzy actual memories. There's a weedy Miami Vice drum intro to "Strawberries" and it doesn't really move on anywhere from there. Sounds a bit like someone pissing about with demo modes. I've found a picture of Jam City and it reeks of a sneering, dabbling rich boy. I'm too lazy to find out whether he is or not: I'm happy with my impression of his image.


"Love Is Real" sounds like Ferris Bueller's keyboard set to glandular fever. Very much losing patience with this character. What would be the point of such minimal music? It's not minimalist; it's minimal effort. I can hear Prince sliced into beef slivers and distending and elongated into great, long Mobius loops. I can hear beauty in the corruption and dismemberment of sounds, even when a menace blooms underneath. I just hear boredom here. I hear nothing erupting. The last track has some vocals from Main Attractionz, mostly about Scotty beaming them up and Sega Dreamcasts. Lends it all a bit more structure, which is welcome.

Same keyboards, different day.

Rating: Hollow out of Sneaker Squeaks

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