050 - Aphex Twin

To my ears the solo piano has the greatest potential of all traditional instruments. It is at its strongest when unaccompanied, its most effective when it whispers: in terms of listenability, there is no sound quite like it. Richard James'  Avril 14  is reminiscent of Grizzly Bear's Foreground  or Radiohead's Videotape  (predating them both by almost ten years) - a somewhat incongruous comparison considering James' renown as a musician of the dark arts. In the context of his oeuvre  then, Avril 14  is like moonlight among shadows. It has a sense of silence to it, bathing in a quiet air of calm, and - despite its almost child-like, playful melody - a distinct maturity and ineffable charm. With the delicate subtlety of a wind-up music-box the song reveals a narrative: in the classical tradition of counterpoint, notes and lines bounce off of and clash against one another, yet we leave in good spirits as any momentary conflict is resolved by the end of the piece. In a way the track ends abruptly, stuttering to a halt like a word on the tip of one's tongue being swallowed again. Ultimately, then, the magic of the song relies on its channeling of an unspeakable truth, from one soul to another, mediated by the instrument of piano alone.

Aphex Twin - Avril 14

42 - Frédéric Chopin

Fluctuating between sorrow and anger, the opening of this piece soon gives way to the lighter and more accepting tones of its wistful middle. It's mourning, however, is ever-present. The final third is perhaps the saddest of all: drenched in emotion, dripping with tears, it is the sound of irrevocable tragedy and loss, with the slightest hint of hope quashed by an emphatic finale.

- It is, after all, a funeral march -

Frédéric Chopin - Opus 72 No.2 in Cm (Marche funèbre)

024 - Sh*t Robot

Time has never been more valuable - we try to maximize it in moments of leisure by seeking as much amusement in as little time as possible. As such, when 21st Century artists exceed lengths standard to their medium - whether in film, literature or music - they run the risk of not having provided enough enjoyment per minute to satisfy their customer. Serge Santiago runs that risk with his ten minute long remix. I would say, however,  that it's worth every second. I can't work out whether the track is simply divided in half or the first 4 minutes serve as an intro - whatever it is, there are two distinct sections. The first is characterized by a tongue-in-cheek vocal line about the pains of modern living, with the second being dominated by a truly feel-good, borderline disco/house piano part.


Shit Robot - Simple Things (Serge Santiago remix)