Wednesday, July 14, 2010

record review: Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti- Before Today



Ariel Pink’s 2010 release Before Today is a lot of things, but boring is not one of them. The psych-electronica LP is like an uncooked shake-and-bake concoction of Michael Jackson and 1960’s Warholian aesthetic—it draws you in with its enticing aromas but is not fit for consumption in its raw state. “Beverly Kills” is a dazzling dance floor number, but, like its siblings on Before Today, cannot be seriously considered as a self-sustaining musical entity. There is something missing here, or rather, too much all of the time—the over-stimulated Hollywood frontman bears all of his influences simultaneously. “Little Wig” represents a high point on the record, as it draws sensational power by combining horror-punk vocals over surfer-inspired nouveau-new-wave music. Before Today will no doubt find its strength in the arms of knowledgeable djs and subsequent plays on dance floors, but fails to strike a chord for the personal realm of headphone use.
3/5

Ariel Pink on MYSPACE

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