(fax) Smart + Talking Heads

[Trevor Cordes]

On 11 Jul, Dave at Fax USA wrote:
> I've really been digging "Smart" lately. It was one of those CDs I 
> dismissed at first, and now, revisiting it, I think it's pretty great.

<Pulling one of my famous sits-in-my-inbox-for-6-months-then-finally-
reply things>

Had a chance to give Smart a coupld of spins.  I don't listen to this
one often as it didn't score much more than average on my first listen.
But it turns out you're very right: this one deserves more airtime.

> The album starts off with Strakita which is a nice plodding ambient 
> track with slightly echoed piano. I like the New Composers use of 
> piano, although the piano itself is the least ambient part of their 
> work. This is not Harold Budd territory, folks.

Yes, the piano works well for them.  It lends them an old-fashioned
feel.

> I won't review every track, but the 4th track, "Palace of Friendship on 
> Fontanka" is really, really nice. Dreamy ambience, again with the 
> piano, waves, some bird sounds (or are they some sort of water animal, 
> like a walrus?). Almost cliched in the combination of sounds, but they 
> do it up nice.

Funny you single out t4.  My mom was by and heard the track and said she
really liked it.  I'm not sure if that's a good thing!  It, like much of
the album, approaches new age / HoS (the label) territory.  That's not
necessarily bad, as I used to like NA/HoS/Narada quite a lot.  But maybe
that's what turned me off to it a few years ago when I was looking for
something more meaty.

Hehe, I thought at first the "walrus sounds" you were referring to were
the childrens' laughs.  But I see you meant the sounds closer to the
end.  Reminds me of gulls, but who knows.  Sounds synthesize and not
sampled?  As a whole, very Eno-y.

> A couple of tracks are beat-driven, danceable pieces (324-A and Adept) 
> which flow really well.

324-A is another winner here.  Very very in the Advanced Indigo
direction.  Simple beat, almost cheesy simple, but it works.

> Adept is really a catchy track, again with 
> piano, some Asian instruments (Shakuhachi, maybe?)

Yes, another AI precursor.  Definitely does have that "Peanuts" sound as
John Whitney pointed out.

> and a nice little 
> "click" here and there. There is a standard drum track, but that 
> "click" is really cool. Little elements like that can really add to a 
> track in my opinion, even though it's a simple sound.

I'm sure most of us here will agree with you that it's a little nothing
in a track that will often make the track.  A buddy and I figured out
over years ago that we'll listen to 5 minutes of build just to get a
little blip or click that lasts maybe 2 seconds, and that will make the
whole track (I believe we specifically had Autechre in mind at the
time).  I think this oddity may be unique to electronic music lovers.
 
> There is some weird stuff here, including Sirens of Titan, which could 
> find a home on any adult easy-listening station

I think Sirens might be one of my fave tracks on this one!  It's got
that cool crackly 30's feel to it.  But you're right, very easy-l.

t3 (those chords!) is straight out of Lanz-era Narada pianoscapes.

> Eno's contribution (Long SQ, Short SQ, and La-La-La) is nice, to be 
> sure, but probably not required listening except for perhaps an Eno 

La-la-la is very nice.  You can definitely hear the Eno.  A real gem.

So, thanks Dave as because of you Smart will get more playtime rather
than the ignore-treatment.

Lastly, I don't want to start an OT thread, but I just picked up Talking
Heads - Remain in Light (1980).  It's co-written/produced by Eno.  I'm
seriously blown away by this album.  I never really listened to the
Talking Heads before, besides what radio play they may have gotten in
the 80's.  I'm shocked how "advanced" it sounds, for 1980.  The quality
is superb.  There are lots of "modern" electronicisms happening in
there.  Track 4 blows my mind.  The dropping bass (Move D anyone?), the
synths, the ambient backdrop, the semi-abstract nature of it.  Play it
REAL loud in the car and turn up the AudioControl Epicenter on the 15"
sub.  Tracks 1-3 are also great.  I'm working on the rest.

Anyone else listen to this stuff?  Anyone else go ever back to the 70's
and 80's and find some interesting gems hidden in the "pop" deluge?