Misnomer

I was initially going to write about the new Crystal Castles, which I have been digging on and is probably my favorite Electronica album so far this year, but when trying to choose my early favorites of 08’, I find myself digressing into Times New Viking’s Rip It Off.

Times New Viking is really a noise/garage band by obvious standards, but I get the same kind of feeling when listening to Fuck Buttons Street Horrrsing. They both really stress the high end of their sound, and allow the subtle white noises to carry the melody. While most songs stay under two minutes, Times New Viking still has something there. Confident vocals and keys are blanketed but audible, and songs like “Teen Drama” and “Relevant: Now” ride a wave underneath it all. Fuck Buttons Horrrsing is far more eccentric and grand in composition, but the cerebral distortion sticks around.

For me, there has always been something sterile about Electronica; I think it has something to do with programmed drums. While the songs structures relatively don’t really stray too far from conventional Pop, they come off sounding recycled instead of repeated. I don’t want to sound out of touch, but I never have been much into the tech. world, and what makes the Times New Viking's Rip It Off interesting for me, is that I feel the same kind of distance and intrigue with Fuck Buttons as I do a supposed garage band. It’s as much of a pitfall as it is a bridge.

Just check out the new Crystal Castles. eh...