#44
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Artist:
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Album:
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Track:Headup - (with Raz Ohara)
as long as we're ahead of schedule:Apparat - Walls
Isn't that cover pretty? makes me feel almost bad to place an album whose lush and beautiful cover matches the aural abundance and care that went onto this record down several places lower than where it *could* have been, but let's get one thing straight: the vocals are terrible. Before this album came out, Sascha Ring went hunting amongst his fans for who could provide decent singing voices for his songs (probably because his collab with allien in 'orchestra of bubbles proved that, while they had good chemistry, neither of them could carry a tune worth a damn). the results are uncommonly damning. to put it in perspective, the sheer awfulness of lead-off pop flirting tune "hailin' from the edge" was so terrifically offensive, that it colored the rest of the vocal performances as deeply unwanted and ruinous. to be fair, most of the other vocals performed are less than stellar, but nothing so overtly bad. the impression that 'hailin' left took a couple weeks to get over, until i approached the album with a fresh set of ears and pretending that the album started at track 3 instead.What came at me was lush and layered, no doubt, but it was also pretty nuanced. the meditative 'useless information' gave way to the sweeping gestures of frostbite-cold "limelight". as the vocals return in 'hold on', i settle a bit in my seat to find that it's not *so* bad, and that it's sprightly step actually makes things a little catchy. it doesn't convince me that pop tunes might be a new okay direction for Apparat, but i'm starting to be convinced that it's not as diasterous as previously thought.before we even enter the second half we already have three significantly different shifts in mood and execution, but it's not distracted, it's coherent and contained in his distinctive style: polished, abundant, melodic, and dramatic. 'fractales pt 2' practically bursts out from his chest in an explosion of color before swimming in ambience and slowburn noise. 'Arcadia' and 'Headup' are his strongest shots at successfully weaving vocals in his music. the former manages the percussions expertly while the voice, straining but congruous, manages to keep up with the emotional outpour. the latter is a bracing and wistful tune with not a little borrowed from the pages of M83 with great success. it's my favorite track there along with 'Limelight'. 'You dont know me' reminds me of his more melancholy work on the Silizium EP. the album closes out on a meandering tune 'singing' about nothing with live drums that says 'album closer' more than anything but lacks any punch.this album is riddled with problems, some much larger than others, but the chasms between these obstacles are filled with worthy ideas and well executed tunes, and as far as it fitting in the evolution of Sascha Ring's expanding musical career and palette, it's an admirably brave step that certainly has its pitfalls, but also has rewards.
Isn't that cover pretty? makes me feel almost bad to place an album whose lush and beautiful cover matches the aural abundance and care that went onto this record down several places lower than where it *could* have been, but let's get one thing straight: the vocals are terrible. Before this album came out, Sascha Ring went hunting amongst his fans for who could provide decent singing voices for his songs (probably because his collab with allien in 'orchestra of bubbles proved that, while they had good chemistry, neither of them could carry a tune worth a damn). the results are uncommonly damning. to put it in perspective, the sheer awfulness of lead-off pop flirting tune "hailin' from the edge" was so terrifically offensive, that it colored the rest of the vocal performances as deeply unwanted and ruinous. to be fair, most of the other vocals performed are less than stellar, but nothing so overtly bad. the impression that 'hailin' left took a couple weeks to get over, until i approached the album with a fresh set of ears and pretending that the album started at track 3 instead.What came at me was lush and layered, no doubt, but it was also pretty nuanced. the meditative 'useless information' gave way to the sweeping gestures of frostbite-cold "limelight". as the vocals return in 'hold on', i settle a bit in my seat to find that it's not *so* bad, and that it's sprightly step actually makes things a little catchy. it doesn't convince me that pop tunes might be a new okay direction for Apparat, but i'm starting to be convinced that it's not as diasterous as previously thought.before we even enter the second half we already have three significantly different shifts in mood and execution, but it's not distracted, it's coherent and contained in his distinctive style: polished, abundant, melodic, and dramatic. 'fractales pt 2' practically bursts out from his chest in an explosion of color before swimming in ambience and slowburn noise. 'Arcadia' and 'Headup' are his strongest shots at successfully weaving vocals in his music. the former manages the percussions expertly while the voice, straining but congruous, manages to keep up with the emotional outpour. the latter is a bracing and wistful tune with not a little borrowed from the pages of M83 with great success. it's my favorite track there along with 'Limelight'. 'You dont know me' reminds me of his more melancholy work on the Silizium EP. the album closes out on a meandering tune 'singing' about nothing with live drums that says 'album closer' more than anything but lacks any punch.this album is riddled with problems, some much larger than others, but the chasms between these obstacles are filled with worthy ideas and well executed tunes, and as far as it fitting in the evolution of Sascha Ring's expanding musical career and palette, it's an admirably brave step that certainly has its pitfalls, but also has rewards.
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