Electronic music, broadly speaking, has separated itself into two camps in the past several years. One of these camps is dominated by the pursuit of the colossal, the attempt to create waves of noise that overwhelm the ear and the body. Dubstep, a prime example, has become a musical arena for the survival of the thickest tones, the most audacious arrangements, and the most powerful, visceral reactions.
The other camp is characterized by restraint, and by the exploration of the metaphorical space that music offers. Acts such as James Blake and Burial have subverted (although occasionally cathartically embraced) the "hit em' with your best shot" approach of mainstream electronic music. This subversion begets patient and eclectic sounds, collage-like arrangements of minimalist melodies often void of discernable vocals. Even Usher's new single, "Climax," doesn't really contain a climax, rather simply a landscape of seemingly underwater noises that crackle below his gentle falsetto (producer Diplo can be thanked for this touch).
The latest incarnation of the subdued and, if I may say, more emotional electronic music is Chromatics' latest album, the enthralling and fascinating "Kill for Love," released on March 26.
On "Kill for Love", like 2007's "Night Drive," one will find airy and sensual vocals from singer Ruth Radelet, a collection of relatively undistorted guitars—often used more for rhythm than for melody—and a general nostalgia for '80s minimalist electronic. Post-punk sensibilities also pervade their work. These songs scream to be placed in some Michael Mann or early David Lynch film with some lonely protagonist flying across a dark highway.
Apparently Nicholas Winding Refn had the same thought. "Tick of the Clock"—the final track on "Night Drive"—was used as a primary driving theme for his ode to stylish American car movies of the '80s, this year's instant cult classic, "Drive." The film's soundtrack esposed Chromatics to a larger audience, building anticipation for "Kill for Love."
Nonetheless, Chromatics aren't exactly helping themselves in that regard. The album runs a whopping hour and half; four songs breach the seven-minute mark and the closer, "No Escape", comes in at 14 minutes. Most of this time is occupied with exploring repetition, with guitar and synth themes introduced and minutely expanded over some lengthy outros.
But who has time to listen to seven minutes of repeating lyrics and melodies? Why must we work so hard as listeners? The same arguments could be easily directed at the long-form style of jazz; many of the genre's songs last just as long as those of Chromatics. "Kill for Love," however, lacks the improvisation we generally find in jazz, but repeated phrases and lyrics can be found in both.
I have never seen Chromatics live, but I can only imagine their lengthy renditions of certain tracks may very well possess a similar level of improvisation amongst the calm repetitive underbelly of muted guitars and subdued beats. Their music can be as sensual as jazz greats, like Ella Fitzgerald and Miles Davis, at their best, and often crescendos to a gentle release or builds upon passing riffs and phrases.
Nevertheless, a handful of short, yet equally captivating tracks balance the album out. The eponymous "Kill for Love," is a striking and earnest song of devotion built around a swelling synth-phony and slowly strumming guitars. "Lady," which has been floating around the Internet as a demo for some time, is freshly revisited on this record. Where thick and powerful bass lines imbue the demo with a kind of catharsis, palm-muted guitars interrupt the action in the new version.
Perhaps the most striking and intriguing piece of the entire album is the opener "Into the Black," a cover of Neil Young's "Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)." They've done nothing to adopt any of Young's folk-rock style, yet their adaptation fits the song's mood strikingly well. Where Young's original feels like a bold proclamation of despair played with crunching and distorted guitars, Chromatics have stripped it down to a single strumming guitar, occasional piano chords, and a near crying Radelet; the contrast between the instruments and her voice isolates the latter and makes the cover sound even lonelier than the original.
With "Into the Black" and throughout their entire new album, Chromatics develop a new breed of electronic music, proving the most powerful does not necessarily mean the loudest or the meanest.
This week's five hum and beats:
The Chromatics—"Into the Black"
Usher—"Climax"
Alabama Shakes—"Hold On"
Goldfrapp—"Number 1"
Mark Foster, A-Trak, and Kimbra—"Warrior"