SILVER APPLES –
GREMLINS EP (GIFTED CHILDREN RECORDS)
Imagine Morton Subotnick
condensed and reformed then you begin to get a rough idea of what Silver Apples
is about. It is kaleidoscope of bleeps
and rhythms, of man wrestling machine without there being a clear victor. It’s a freak orchestra, not necessarily
always fun but constantly bionic.
Silver Apples were electronic
music pioneers. They were producing
music in the sixties that some acts still cannot make today. Straight out of New York they were originally
a duo, even a trio if you include the bespoke piece of engineering (“The
Simeon”) that made them such a unique outfit.
But sadly it never really happened for them. Sometimes you can be too far ahead of the game, too niche and
innovative. Then after three albums the
band was no more, prematurely put to bed.
However over the years people began to catch up and discover their
music. Silver Apples finally ripened.
Unfortunately the
original pairing of Simeon and Dan Taylor is now due to Taylor’s passing but
with steam in the engine Simeon and The Simeon now proudly continue to carry
the Silver Apples name. And this four
song EP was released in 2008 as part of music’s most played down comeback.
Early on a disarming
swirl greets the listener as “Beethovan Jambalaya” the first of the four new
tracks pulsates and inserts its energy in solid mental confines. From here some kind of non-human language
and exchange occurs as a gift to the sonic lords is offered. It is a mesmerising experience, looping like
the aural equivalent of a magic eye picture (do they still produce them or did
it cause too many cross eyed fatalities?).
Today, the computers win even if Simeon is ringing/squeezing The Simeon
for everything he has (including sample of a Nazi rally anthem).
Then the circle
completes, the descent achieved.
Time has been kind to
Silver Apples and the technology of today compliments the innovation of their
hour. With this in mind the experience
enlarges as the biogenic pulse of “I Don’t Know” splashes over
proceedings. It’s a hostile, seeming
accusatory piece that would not be out of place on an Alan Vega record. Perhaps Simeon isn’t such a sweet old guy
after all.
“Purple Egg” provides
an incredible mish mash of sounds opening like a Kraftwerk track prior to
discovering its groove and eventually sliding into something of a nursery rhyme
vocal approach. Its swinging, its
upbeat. Its come a long way.
The EP closes with
“The Gremlins Of Hamlet” and a groaning amount of hard beats coupled with synth
waves. Again there is an underlying
Kraftwerk tone to proceedings as the race to the finish offers something of an
exciting sprint.
Care free and
glorious, harmony between man and machine remains a wonderful thing. Real legends never die.
Thesaurus moment:
wisdom.
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