Music Banter

It’s a funny old music landscape out there these days. It seems that everyone and his dog are making music on their own. This is a consequence, of course, of laptop culture- it’s not that hard for anyone to get hold of the technology they need to record their own music to a relatively high standard. This has been a bit punk rock in some ways- there’s been this great explosion of people doing their own thing out there, with technology you can pick up more or less for free.

Once you’ve crafted your masterpiece, it’s easy to find a home for it on the web. That’s why this blog inevitably links to Myspace pages- whilst they have their limitations, it’s a remarkable forum for bands or individuals with no funds and no backing to simply stick up their work online. Of course, they’re more often than not totally ignored, but it’s the principle of the thing, isn’t it?

Here’s something that I suspect could have only ever been a one-man band: Los Angeles resident Pat Grossi, who records under the name Active Child.

It’s deeply unusual- like synth gospel played by Vangelis, layers of falsetto vocal and drums that sound like OMD or Ultravox might have gone ‘no, these sound just a bit too ’80s for us.’ It could only have been the creation of one person’s musical tastes and influences.

I know, sounds awful, doesn’t it? Strangely, it’s not. It sounds moving and sweeping. If there’s a comparison to be made with another contemporary artist, it would be Memory Tapes. Both use synths and ’80s- sounding effects in their music, and love reverb like nothing else. The difference between the two, however, is that whilst Memory Tapes makes you want to remember how the best summer of your life felt long ago, Active Child wants you to weep alone in the darkness at what is, what could have been, and what never was.

‘Body Heat (Oh So Far Away) is a beautiful, haunting piece of music, a glacial hymn to a missed lover. Grossi’s vocals recall someone like David McAlmont, if only he had a sense of restraint. This music does- something that seems to be a carry-over from the time Grossi spent in the Philadelphia Boys’ choir as a child. He’s not treating his vocals as a lead instrument, it’s one of many, often literally as there are multiple vocal tracks on each song.

‘She was a Vision’ is fantastic, too- “I came home to an empty house/surrendered my thoughts and then I burst out…it’s strange how we disappear” he sings, over a drum beat that sounds exactly like Ultravox’s ‘Vienna.’ Still, we’ll forgive him this, I think, as the music’s so good.

He’s also come up with the most bizarrely creepy song title ever, with ‘I’m in your church at night.’ What is he doing there? moping by the pews, subtly re-arranging the listed readings so they spell out his lover’s name? The atmosphere this music evokes would be a perfect soundtrack to whatever you wanted to do, if indeed you were indeed alone in a church at midnight.

And there you have it- Active Child is the sum of his influences, and something uniquely new. He’s a thoroughly modern project, and great late-night listening.

I’ve said I love Shoegaze a lot on here, and here’s the latest artist seemingly tailor-made to appeal to a demographic of me.

Incidentally, this is one of my favourite things- the moment you hear something, or see something, which you know will appeal directly to someone you know and love, and you want to share it with them. The last time that happened, it was when I saw ‘Mega-Shark versus Giant Octopus’ and knew it was designed for my old housemate to love.

Anyway, I digress. So this is Wild Nothing, a one-man band from Virginia. The 21 year-old Jack Tatum has heard the Cocteau Twins, My Bloody Valentine, and every other Shoegaze band ever, and my god he loves them. He probably sleeps under a Pains of Being Pure at Heart duvet, and kisses his Liz Frazer doll goodnight when he goes to sleep at night. If I was a guessing man, I’d say he has an older sibling with a hell of a record collection.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not criticising the man. I’m simply noting he’s treading a fairly well-worn path.

This isn’t wildly original music, but it is very good. His vocals are drenched in layers of echo, and his guitars do that shimmering, gliding thing that Kevin Shields invented and used to such great effect. It’s pretty cool, and shows great promise- Tatum is, after all, just twenty-one, and likely to develop, perhaps take his influences in a new direction. At the moment he sounds a bit like Je Suis Animal.

There’ll probably be more attention paid to his cover- a fairly straight version of Kate Bush’s ‘Cloudbusting.’ His voice isn’t as good as Kate Bush, but then again, whose is? As it is, it’s fairly good. it’s nice to hear that song, and he does it well.

I prefer ‘Drifter,’ a brilliantly crafted piece of echoing guitar jangle which is the most Cocteau-ish of the songs on his myspace. It sounds blissfull, effortless, and it makes me feel nostalgic and excited at once.

‘Live In Dreams’ is also pretty cool- it’s a vaguely Smiths-y jangle with pretty flutes keeping the ambience properly shoegazey.

If I have a problem with this at all, I find myself wanting something a little different from Tatum, something that speaks more of the future. I think that’ll come with time. He’s one to watch, and in five years, maybe he’ll have done something remarkable.