To be honest,
the term "Insta-Album" is a new one on me, and what it
means isn't totally clear, although the press release mentions a
snapshot of the current moment, so perhaps that's the "Insta"
aspect. It also leads to the question of what is an album nowadays?
Many bands opt for releases that are between five and eight tracks
long - between conventional EP and album lengths. Space on pieces of
vinyl is less important in the digital age, and there's a train of
thought that attention spans are reducing because you can listen to
any song at the click of a button, so maybe this is set to become the
norm. New York noise-rock experimentalist YUZIMA only
includes three tracks on his latest "Insta-Album", so it's
really a single in old-fashioned terms.
This release
is touted as an attack on pop culture where everything "from
the disposable nature of modern music to selfies, are fair game".
First track 'Behemoth' is caked in so much distortion that the vocals
appear to be so far back in the mix that they're being shouted
through from another room. It's as lo-fi as we get and is produced to
make it seem as though your speakers are broken (or at least that's
the impression given). YUZIMA has been a long time fan of Tracy
Chapman, but when meeting her was hugely let down as she apparently
refused to have her photo taken with him, an incident that led to
'Tracy Chapman (No)'. There's more of a regular indie/pop aspect to
this song, but only just. The soulful vocal sounds at odds with the
scuzzed-out music but works well, conveying the disappointment but
also shrouding it in noise. It's a strange concoction for sure.
Lastly, 'Say What You Mean' is an industrial squall with an
indie-soul song hidden underneath. These are sounds that it can be
difficult to get to grips with at first, but there's no doubt they're
unique and that YUZIMA has found a style all of his own.
YUZIMA's website
Stream or buy the single
The Sound Of Confusion on Twitter and Facebook
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