In Rotation: Makeup & Vanity Set, C418, Secret Pyramid, Dungen & American Football (Review)
In Rotation is a regular Opus feature where I post short reviews of noteworthy music, both new and old, that I’ve been listening to lately.
Makeup & Vanity Set
2016 has been a busy year for Matthew Pusti, aka Makeup & Vanity Set. Back in April, he released the excellent Wavehymnal EP, which further polished and dance-ified his synthwave sound. Following Wavehymnal, he released two soundtracks. The first was for Hit TV, an ’80s-tastic short film directed by Saman Kesh that’s about a seedy underground assassination game show. The second was Brigador, Vol. I, the first installment of Pusti’s soundtrack for the acclaimed indie mecha combat videogame.
However, one of the most interesting MAVS projects is this short video and exclusive track recorded for Meris, a company that manufactures audio processing equipment. The track’s an ominous, slowburning piece in the finest MAVS tradition and the Joey Ciccoline-directed video is simple yet effective. (And though I’m no gearhead, Pusti’s set-up looks pretty slick, too.)
2 Years of Failure by C418 (Review)
An enjoyable collection of odds and ends that explore different facets of the C418 sound.
Distant Works II by Secret Pyramid (Review)
Amir Abbey creates an atmosphere full of grandeur and majesty shadowed by melancholy.
“Jakten Genom Skogen” by Dungen
One of the prettiest things I’ve ever heard from Gustav Ejstes and his bandmates.
American Football
In 1999, American Football released their self-titled full-length debut, and its plaintive vocals, off-kilter rhythms, and intricate guitar melodies effectively bridged the gap between emo, math-rock, and Steve Reich-esque minimalism. Time has done very little to diminish the debut’s loveliness; songs like “Never Meant” and “Honestly?” still sound just as fresh, and more importantly, still pack just as much of an emotional wallop as they did so long ago.
So what does the group do for their long-awaited sophomore release? The fact that it, too, is titled American Football should give you a clue. The first two singles — “I’ve Been So Lost For So Long” and “Give Me The Gun” — pick up right where the last album left off, as if the last seventeen years never happened at all. Mike Kinsella’s voice is just as emotive as ever and the band’s music is still lovely and effortless. Consider, for example, the gorgeous little bridge that appears half-way through “Give Me The Gun” and adds a whole ‘nother layer of emotional resonance to the song.
American Football will be released by Polyvinyl on October 21.
As an added bonus, watch American Football perform “Never Meant” at the 2015 Reading Festival.