Smoke Break!

Just a little something…

Hello, filters!  Your Fourth of July-themed Wake n Bake article isn’t here yet, but I thought I’d leave you a little something to chew on until then.

Goldfrapp is one of my go-to bands for when I’m high–Allison Goldfrapp’s beautiful voice, their lush orchestration, and the overall glamour of their sound are a real treat.  What’s even more amazing is how distinct each of their albums are from one another.  They could produce cabaret numbers, dance floor hits, and folk songs, all while sounding unmistakably Goldfrapp.  Their most recent studio album, Head First, is a love letter to the ridiculous rock and pop of the 80s–  Cyndi Lauper, Olivia Newton-John, Van Halen–it’s all in there somewhere.  Guitars, synths, and electronic drum pads abound.  

The last track off the album, though, stands out above all others.  It consists of short voice loops–cut, pasted, reintroduced, relayered–over a bed of simple synth pulse.  Basically, the purposeful rearrangement of predetermined musical phrases stands in lieu of writing a melody, a method often used in other minimalist music.  The result is something transcendent.  Have a smoke break, have a listen.

The only bad thing is that it’s weird if you find yourself singing it later, because everyone around you will just see a crazy person singing “HAAaa HAAaa HAAaa” or “Hooo-ee-yah!  Hooo-ee-yah!”  Be careful out there.

-Erin