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jgn's review
5.0
This is a great entrant in the Japanese 33 1/3 music book series (each book is about a single album; this series is an offshoot of the some 100 books in the Angle 33 1/3 series): It's about the amazing album "Fantasma" (released in 1997) by Cornelius. I think for the uninitiated, "Fantasma" is a hard listen. You hear things: sound effects, allusions -- if that is the right word -- to the Beach Boys, tropicalia, demo records . . . and all that lassoed to breathing, mic checking, and studio noises. Individual tracks sometimes sound like songs (and are songs), but then they are disrupted by swirly beat changes or the introduction of gorgeous harmonies. One of the weirdest things about the album is that while you're listening, if you've listened to a lot of music recorded since the 1950s, you'll be going: "Hey, that's . . . um, that's . . .": Well, Cornelius is just messing with you. Roberts talks about how the album samples sometimes like a hip-hop record but other times it's on a whole different "non-referential" level, not touching directly that one thing you think you know, but playing up a context so as to create a new meaning, frequently through self-quoting earlier ditties on the same slab of vinyl. Whew.
Full disclosure: I was sent this volume by Roberts's publisher, and I'm thanked in the opening pages for talking through with Roberts some of the indie rock history Cornelius messes with. Roberts in this book is a great teacher, and he shows how Cornelius manipulates themes from "The Planet of the Apes," Disneyland, Brazilian beats, and the likes of British bands like Primal Scream.
Tip: Listen to a track or two from Cornelius's earlier band, Flipper's Guitar. Then listen to a couple of tracks from Cornelius's most recent album, "Mellow Waves." Then play the entirety of "Fantasma" and its bonus tracks. Put it on repeat and follow Roberts's guidance through this amazingly tricky sounds experience.
Full disclosure: I was sent this volume by Roberts's publisher, and I'm thanked in the opening pages for talking through with Roberts some of the indie rock history Cornelius messes with. Roberts in this book is a great teacher, and he shows how Cornelius manipulates themes from "The Planet of the Apes," Disneyland, Brazilian beats, and the likes of British bands like Primal Scream.
Tip: Listen to a track or two from Cornelius's earlier band, Flipper's Guitar. Then listen to a couple of tracks from Cornelius's most recent album, "Mellow Waves." Then play the entirety of "Fantasma" and its bonus tracks. Put it on repeat and follow Roberts's guidance through this amazingly tricky sounds experience.
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