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Originally Posted by Severian
Wait what? There's a Babyfather album coming out this year?
Where/when did you hear about this? I haven't (I don't think), but hot damn I loved BBF.
Hmmmmm...
I do think that some of today's most daring artists are a little too bogged down with identity politicking for their own good (another example is ANOHNI — nothing against her, but it almost feels criminal to take such a unique and weird voice and to confine it to gender and political anthems. I would like to hear her venture into truly experimental territory on her next outing, assuming she remains ANOHNI. HOPELESSNESS was a really good record, but it's also the kind of thing you can only do once.
With Arca I'm less familiar with the visual aesthetic of the work. I like Arca becaue Arca seems to be carrying on in the bending of electronic genres and rules that my dearly beloved Aphex Twin did (and does) so goddamn well.
I remember liking the new Arca (haven't listened to it a ton) but I also remember feeling that it was a bit "ballad" heavy for an artist labeled "experimental." The tones and chopped melodies certainly do tend to run a bit heavy on the yearning and melancholy. I'm more interested in musical textures and variety, especially from electronic artists.
I'm going to listen to it again though so I can be sure we're even talking about the same thing.
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it's already out...?? it's just a little mixtape, think it's vanished from the internet again though. called 'cypher'. even slighter than 419 and platinum tears but violent in a way blunt hasn't been since the hype williams days.
re arca, he pretty much is aphex from my perspective in relation to the 'undercarriage' of whatever this movement's become: a glossier, more palatable take on things that crystallises them really deftly but isn't really obliterating things the way a lot of other stuff in that sphere tends to. like it's good, I'm not going to pick at it and say that it isn't bad or anything but it's not *that* necessary, I don't need to listen to it.
that whole chopped melodies thing seems a bit outdated to me, like skyh1 has been doing it, visionist's been doing it, all the boxed and halcyon veil guys have been doing it for years, and I don't really think arca's contributing that much, even as he's been doing it since those early tapes (which I will say were fucking great). that's why, as many problems as I have with this record, they're only niggling as this record's more important in terms of what it's representing for him -- it's an upward development where all his other records have been sidesteps. my issue is that he's yet to put together a record that's unassailable, where it's not blighted by some noticeable flaw, hopefully he'll be able to figure it out eventually.