(03.30.05) Telefon Tel Aviv’s Joshua Eustis steps up to assist this Chicago duo on
their first release for Hefty. I haven’t heard L’altra prior to Eustis’s
involvement, so am not sure how much of a change of direction this
signals. Regardless, he brings his production techniques to bear on some
very un-Telefon Tel Aviv sounding material.
“Bring On Happiness” is a short, maudlin pop song, a duet between L’altra
members Joseph Costa and Lindsay Anderson. A brief orchestral burst is
allowed to collapse into distorted echoes before a swung beat is
introduced, only to be followed quickly by Joseph’s dry and moody singing
enters alongside Morricone-like twanging guitars. Lindsay provides a
slightly strained sounding refrain, all thinned out like she’s joined in
via a little speaker in the corner of the room. A huge number of sounds
come and go – the kind of detail and layers one would expect on a Telefon
Tel Aviv production – but obviously whether the song works for you is going
to determine whether you enjoy this at all.
“Soft Collapse” is exclusive to the single, and is a much more languid
feel. Washes of synths and piano underpin a more confident vocal from
Lindsay. Synth bass and sparse synthetic drum sounds form a backbone of
sorts, with more multi-tracked singing and acoustic guitar adding more meat
as the song progresses.
The single is rounded out by Hefty boss Slicker’s remix of “Bring On
Happiness.” It’s surprisingly faithful to the original version, although
he pushes the feel of the swung beat to create some intriguing and awkward
effects. A loud snare drum cuts through the mix over a prominent squelchy
synth bass line.
All up Bring On Happiness is a strangely nostalgic affair. There’s a
particular kind of melding of synthesized sounds with largely melancholy
songs played on acoustic instruments, that’s reminiscent of releases from
the 90s such as Mark Van Hoen’s more song based Locust releases or even
harking back beyond that to the mish-mash of sounds on This Mortal Coil
records in the 80s. With an increasingly large number of acts finding
fruitful ground in the amalgam of electronics and indie-rock, I will not be
surprised if L’altra’s release gets left behind.
Bring On Happiness is out now on Hefty.
