Jul222008
Review: Joy Electric makes cubism into pop art
Filed under Uncategorized by teresa santoski at 12:00 pm
"My Grandfather, the Cubist" by Joy Electric (Tooth and Nail Records) - Out now
With "My Grandfather, The Cubist," Joy Electric’s Ronnie Martin continues to peel back the effervescent layers of pop hooks and move towards a sharper, more minimalistic sound.
As the title suggests, this album has more angles and edges, with sounds that are harsher and more distinctly electric than albums previous. Now even more than before, Joy Electric provides a sonically rich electronic experience for the listener that doesn’t overburden the ears while still maintaining its devotion to traditional pop song structure.
The opening track, "Victorian Intuition/Father Winter Replies," is an excellent example of this. It begins with the more somber, measured "Victorian Intuition" and segues into the bouncier "Father Winter Replies" at just over the one minute mark, returning to "Victorian Intuition" at about three minutes.
There’s very little sonic fat on the bones of this song, with each sound counting towards the song’s ultimate impact. The ease with which the three contrasting parts of the track (each with their own verses and choruses) mesh into one complete song is particularly engaging.
No one can craft a song title like Ronnie Martin. Other excellent tracks on this album include the sweetly lilting "Draw For Me, M.C. Escher" and the darker "The First Time I Loved Her It Was Here," which plays with a single melodic backing line during parts of the verses with enchanting results and also features a harpsichord effect, giving the song a delightfully brooding, don’t-mind-me-I’m-just-moping-around-the-graveyard-here quality.
"Only Copernicus" is another gem, with whimsical music camouflaging apprehensive lyrics - a fitting anthem for anyone who has ever found themselves having to take a stand for an unpopular truth.
The title track is sandwiched between two instrumental pieces, "Prelude to Cubism" and "Cubism Interlude." While it still has the measured, minimalist quality characteristic of the album, its tone is surprisingly softer than that of most of the other songs. Rather than what one might expect based on the title, the song is wistful without being melancholy, angular without being overly sharp, and a lovely if unexpected way to close out the album.
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