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I've mentioned before my struggles with the concept of "relevancy" as it relates to this blog - on one level, I am adamant about this being a journal of my listening experiences with no intended audience whatsoever. At the same time, though, I fully realize the absurdity of a website that posts random and incomplete reviews of albums and songs from various genres and time periods. When I don't have any new releases to review, though, I'm left with little else to do with my strict every-weekday posting regimen. I am happy to report that I will have some new releases to write about again starting next week - for now, here are a few random thoughts about Ariel Pink's House Arrest album.
House Arrest starts with a tinny, world-beat guitar line that could be the beginning of a Vampire Weekend song - it immediately catches the ear but then disappears beneath the muddy mix of sounds that characterized Ariel Pink's early work. The mewling synths, clicky drums, and hissy vocals pile onto the guitar in a one big trebly jumble. It's a credit to Ariel Pink's songwriting and arranging abilities, then, that the songs on House Arrest are often still quite listenable. The limited palette becomes an issue on the longer tracks, like "Gettin' High in the Morning", the title track, and the nine-minute bonus track "Netherlands" - these songs don't hold my attention as well as the shorter ones.
The album's best-known song is probably "Every Night I Die at Miyagis", which is a standout not only for its catchy melody but for the restraint Pink uses in the arrangement, going straight for a glossy '70s MOR pop sound without any of the usual eccentricities. I like the more screwed-up-sounding pop songs on the album, though, like the dancey "Alisa" and the homemade power pop of "Interesting Results". The lyric is pretty funny, too - I love the way Pink intones the line, "I get interesting results!"
"Interesting Results" by Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti
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