Psapp Returns and Their Camel’s Back
This post was written by Benjiposted in Uncategorized |
It’s one thing when all your myspace friends are cats/kittens. It’s another thing when all the kitsch actually amounts to something. Fortunately, both apply for the UK duo of Carim Clasmann and Galia Durant that make up Psapp. The savory tones of Durant’s vocals melded with the ecletic instruments of Clasmann’s invention have given rise to the term ‘toytronica’ to describe their style. But to pin Psapp into this proverbial corner only emphasizes the superficial kitsch and novelty to Psapp’s work. While certainly this remains a significant part of their appeal, this ignores the complexity and sophistication that lie at the heart of what Psapp does.
And their fourth proper LP The Camel’s Back couldn’t be more indicative of such. The album title seems to allude to the straw that breaks the camel’s back–could this be a statement by the band about their own style? Is it losing its uniqueness? Perhaps this album is to be the one that ‘breaks the camel’s back’, the one that is just too much to handle. To me, rather, it seems that this album is ever more so an affirmation (a culmination, if you will) of what Psapp has done thus far. It is a defiant statement, a declaration, a strengthening (?) of the camel’s back.
To use words like eclectic and quirky are not helpful in defining the songs on The Camel’s Back, and would ultimately overlook the amazing breadth within those classifications that Psapp fills. “I Want That” is a conglomeration of non-sequitur sounds, an unbridled explosion varying noises–and yet this entropy is harnessed in by Durant’s sweet, sultry voice to a delightful effect. More discipline is shown on the stringed “Part Like Waves”, a delicate epic of a track that somehow tiptoes silently into your ear and runs out the other. The lowdown swing of “Fickle Ghost” carries a dissonant air, contrasted with the playful, less emotive “The Monster Song”. The pulsing hypnotism of “Fix It” is as infectious a song as you’re going to hear, followed by the boisterous “Mister Ant”, only to conclude with the French ragtime of “Parker”.
So stop reading. Get the album!
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Listen to “Fix It”
Listen to “Part Like Waves“
