A trip down memory lane, Digi G’Alessio’s (aka Troubled Minds Cabin Crew) new release, Songs For The Animals, revisits the sounds of early electronic music—the days of gigantic synthesizers and tape machines.
It’s strange to return to what must have been such exciting times with the knowledge of how electronic music has in fact evolved. As various genres have congealed, the patterns and trends which make up electronic music’s particular trajectory may appear as definitive coordinates rather than contingencies, whims. It’s no surprise, then, that the nascent sounds of many of today’s most popular genres can be heard in Songs For The Animals, just as they can be discerned in early electronic records. Even better still, the ghosts of all the genres that never happened are also present.
It’s hard to underestimate the sheer scale of possibility electronic technology promised musicians; by resetting the clock in this way, G’Alessio is able to resuscitate some of that early optimism and offer us a refreshing perspective on the current state of electronic music.
Sounding at times like early Aphex Twin, at others like Raymond Scott, Songs For The Animals is characterised by simple, naive melodies (the latter effect is only enhanced by the album’s choice of song names: “Dogs,” “Dolphins,” “Owls,” “Herons,” etc.). However, as with those early records, the primary focus isn’t melody, but texture, feel, exploration. With its walking basses, offbeat reggae-style synths, retro sounding arpeggiators, and jazzy melodies, there are elements to this record that would never see the light of day in the hands of most other contemporary electronic musicians. For me at least, it’s great to see them return.
Songs For The Animals is available on Bedroom Research. [Release page]
