As you might know, Jamie xx, the 'programmer/beat-maker' from the XX, has been commissioned to remix last years fairly massive Gil Scott-Heron comeback album, I'm New Here. However, he wanted to include and sample some of Gil's old work and set it to an older, RJD2 style, while embedding Gil's new work in his newer, dubstepy style. We're New Here will be the albums title, out Feb 21/22.
Nicolas Jaar's new album Space Is Only Noise is officially due out Feburary 14, but has been available for download on filesharing sites (like this one) for a few weeks now. In fact, I bet most of you have it already.
So, is it any good?
A dark artistic album with high-end production, smooth keys, lazy beats, near-perfect percussion and relaxing ambient background noise is admittedly hard not to like. Jaar's talent (and penchant for melancholic chords amidst clean beats) is certainly as obvious as it ever was - his now signature style is even more ingrained with this effort. He took the LP seriously, and instead of filling it with a collection of finished independent songs, he created a cohesive album seemingly designed to play seamlessly from start to finish. Stressing transition, cohesion, and narrative Jaar included 2 - 3 transition pieces (depending on who you ask) and let the first song basically be the last.
For the most part it worked and I am impressed and happy with the album. With the exception of a few songs it has been a nice soundtrack to rainy bus rides, smokey traffic jams and tipsy billiard games. However, it is not without, nor beyond critique. I will now take issue with the ideas that the album is under-developed and could have done without Jaar's singing and lyrics.
But here is one of the better songs the on the album (despite the unneeded chatter) to listen to while you read.
It seems the danger in the transitioned LP approach stems from the potential to leave tracks largely under-developed. Tracks like Almost Fell, Variations, Specters of the Future and even Colomb could have easily benefited from some more attention - mainly in extending and developing. Having those tracks more developed certainly wouldn't have taken away from the albums arc, and if done right, would not kill the leaving-us-wanting-more feeling that great short songs seem intent on.
Was Jaar just too focused on the overall mix, was he being pressured, was he trying to maximize the leaving-us-wanting-more feeling or was he trying to capitalize on his musical fragments?
I have already addressed the former, and seeing that the album is released on the relaxed left-field Circus Company we ought rule out the pressure idea and consider the 'leave-us-wanting-more' suggestion. If that is to be the reason, in my eyes the tactic annoys me more than leaves me wanting more, for the album becomes less like an actual album and more like a collection of fragments strung together - which is fine if that's what he wanted to create, but I have the feeling that shouldn't a debut album have more substance than that?! Perhaps then he was simply trying to capitalize on a collection of fragments. This seems the most likely possibility, in-spite of the easy and weak, 'it's just art man, relax' defense available. Understanding his musical ability means understanding that his fragments are better than most and can probably pass for songs if arranged appropriately. For Jaar, this realization is dangerous for it would evidence egotistical tenancies and not financial trouble.
If Jaar was as into letting people remix his work as he is into remixing other people's work, I wouldn't be so stuck up on the fragment issue because I could eagerly await a remix package. However, Jaar does not invite in remixers (although Kasper Bjork told me he will be the first to do it). This concern can now lend itself to the deeper egoism concern in the sense that we may rightly ask why he wont allow remixes? Is he forgetting his own advice and buying into his hype?
This deeper concern has been a growing impression and can be grounded in other troubling aspects of the album.
For starters, considering Jaar's musical connections and growing pocketbook, why did Jaar take it upon himself to sing on the album? He certainly doesn't have a great voice, and while his lazy ramblings can be said to fit somewhat to the music, I could easily envision many other vocalists fitting equally or better and more pleasantly to his music. This awkwardness is most noticeable on Too Many Kids Finding Rain In The Dust and Space Is Only Noise If You Can See. His voice gets by on Problems With the Sun, but only because it's pitched down so much, but to the point where I wonder if a simple baritone wouldn't have been a better fit. Whats worse, and has me skipping through these three songs, is that his lyrics are mere background at best and meaningless at worst.
The title track is most guilty, for it not only says nothing comprehensible - 'Space is Only Noise' - but it says it in a way that makes you feel stupid for not noticing - 'Space is Only Noise if you can see!' In fact the whole song speaks down at the listener about nothing really. I mean, I can see, and I don't see that space is only noise, and the other lyrics in the song don't help me to see that - 'watch your clock baby.. watch the weather on t.v.. grab a calculator and fix yourself'
So Jaar, do you mean: a. that space is actually made of sound? That's debatable and a wild stretch looking at the other lyrics. Anyway, sound is just a spectrum of light, so the debate wont get far. b. that noise creates space? That's a mere truism and goes without saying. And besides, deaf people cant hear noise yet can experience space. c. that space is full of noise? This could be most true and most interesting, as a cubic centimeter of space is calculated to be loaded with an amazing amount of energy. But that interpretation doesn't fit the other lyrics (save for maybe the calculator bit). Also, space is not noisy unless noise is meant to be a synonym for the seemingly chaotic vacuum-photon fluctuations. But it is debatable how chaotic they actually are and more importantly if noise and chaos are really synonyms. d. to make a juvenile joke about synesthesia patients, in that noise comes through the ears and sight comes through the eyes and space is mysteriously involved? If so this is not witty nor intelligent.
Either way, its a bad pick for the title track as it does not represent the album well, nor does it adequately showcase Jaar's musical talent. In fact, it's the worst song on the album.
Too Many Kids Finding Rain in the Dust seems to encounter similar lyrical problems upon analysis. But at least here the most plausible explanation for the lyrical strategy becomes obvious; it appears that Jaar is just trying to find words that fit best to the mood of song and not words that fit to the mood of the song AND are publicly meaningful. It is not hard to write poetic sentences that relate to the vibe of a song, and this is why it is boring - because its not special. It's much harder and more rewarding for both the artist and audience to create something that is intelligent, poetic and captures the music. And that might just be the difference between a superstar and a legend. A superstar's lyrics seem to blend into the noise of the immediate temporal space because the intended meaning is too relative and subjective to last. A legends' lyrics, on the other hand, actually say something publicly specific and so they stand out of and through time. If this rough scheme is at all true, lets just hope Jaar is not too enamored with the possibilities of the former to set focus on the latter.
For those of you in Berlin excited to see Jaar's live set tomorrow night at Watergate, a cautionary note is in order, lest you become pumped then deflated by the over hype surrounding his act. I saw him a few months ago and came home with mixed reviews. This time round I suspect he will try to work in some of the more dancier stuff from his new album and some of the hip-hop instrumentals he is now super into (*yawn* check his Beasts in Space mix below) - either of which I don't see making for a great club experience. Yet I could be very wrong. But naturally I am curious, so let me know how it goes in the comments.
As this blog is somewhat of a superfluous appendage to my life it is in prime position to be neglected. I apologize that it is not living up to its own promise of seeming to have more than mere appendage status in the life of the author. I suppose this asymmetry may be explained by the tension between the blogs original intent - being a casual experimental record book - and its potential future. Nevertheless, rest assured that regardless of its direction or history, it still exists and is in motion.
With apologies and excuses now out of the way, some words about expectations are in order. As I consider ideas for version 2.0 I keep returning to roughly the same format, modified only by the addition of more reality - meaning more personal anecdotes, politics and philosophy. This will take us into topics and ideas that exist outside the music world, as the outside world looks like it needs some serious attention right now. However, there is alot of music that speaks to that concern and I will try to collect the best of it here, perhaps as a new series. The blog will still remain a music blog at base though because the hard parts of reality can only be cogently handled when music is nearby, organized and ready.
So it could happen that other authors will contribute at times or that a podcast and/or interview series may emerge. I hope so and will try to make it so. But for now finishing my undergrad has got me pretty tied up so things are sluggish on the blog front. Yet I will still make time to post - kinda haphazardly - a bunch of stuff that I have been meaning to for months as well as a few new things (album review from you know who) and maybe even a few tardy end-of-year lists.
Lastly, I will be routinely encouraging feedback and comments from you, for shyness behind a veil of anonymity simply will not fly in 2.0.
Ok. That's all for now.
Hugs, Ryan
Odetta - Hit or Miss
This track famously appeared in DJ Shadow and Cut Chemists' Brainfreeze live mix in 1999 (thanks Andrew ;) Download the track or mix
