{"id":917496,"date":"2017-05-18T09:59:45","date_gmt":"2017-05-18T13:59:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/fnpsites.net\/playlist\/?p=917496"},"modified":"2017-05-18T10:00:41","modified_gmt":"2017-05-18T14:00:41","slug":"new-god-a1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fnpsites.net\/playlist\/2017\/05\/18\/new-god-a1\/","title":{"rendered":"New God: ‘\/\/\/A1’"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Sometimes, there\u2019s no use in dissecting a record note for note, song for song, chorus for chorus. Sometimes, there\u2019s a piece of art out there that truly transcends description, something so obscure or something so unique that it\u2019s a thankless, impossible task to try and box it in. It walks the line of pretentious gleefully all while pointing and laughing at those of us who can\u2019t stop listening to it, those of us who lack the vocabulary and intellect to accurately chronicle what we\u2019re hearing.<\/span><\/p>\n

Electro, self-proclaimed wizard-pop act New God take up residence in that area with their latest, lightning-quick 10 song set, \u201c\/\/\/A1.\u201d The brainchild of the brothers Tompkins, Kenny and Curt, this collection amounts, in some ways at least, to be the local version of Kanye West\u2019s \u201cThe Life Of Pablo,\u201d some tracks clocking in below 2 minutes and one that doesn\u2019t even hit the 50-second mark. Yet to those who might think this is nothing more than a series of unfinished ideas that should be fleshed out into something far more special \u2026 well, think again.<\/span><\/p>\n

Because it\u2019s already special enough.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mostly centered around piano and guitar tracks that were recorded on an iPhone, these songs provide almost as much atmosphere as an Alfred Hitchcock marathon. Adding to the ambiance is a layer of ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response) sounds that combine with a type of white noise heaven begging you to space out as far as the mind can go. It\u2019s the type of stuff that demands a lack of nerve, soothing any high-strung sensibility with both class and precision. It\u2019s best served on a rainy afternoon.<\/span><\/p>\n

And the journey starts with one of the foggiest tracks here. \u201cA1A\u201d is processed groove at its best, complete with mysterious whispering that has a constant presence as the beat snaps back and forth with intrigue. The subtle breathing noises make for a spa-like backdrop that proves to be more soothing than creepy, more inviting than weird. It\u2019s an intricate touch that accomplishes its job wonderfully, setting the tone for a group of spaced-out instrumentals that never bore.<\/span><\/p>\n

Better yet is \u201cA1D\u201d that has a tasty amount of West Coast hip-hop swing to it, all the way up to the unapologetically dreamy organ and understatedly funky backbeat. Picking up during its short latter half gives the track an added layer of thought, making it feel much heftier than it actually is. Of all the wizardry these guys have accomplished since 2012, this might be the most enduring magic trick of them all. Loop it twice, send it to Snoop Dogg and wait for the next big rap hit 1994 could only wish it had.<\/span><\/p>\n

Other tracks stand out for their hook-laden ideals. \u201cA1C\u201d centers around a riff that you swear you\u2019ve heard before and all told, it will keep you up at night due to its incessant tenacity. Laying back, it feels effortless in execution, which proves to be one of its most attractive qualities. \u201cA1B,\u201d meanwhile, feels like it should have been on Dvsn\u2019s \u201cSept. 5th,\u201d its moody slow jam textures lending itself perfectly to the sparse R&B that makes its way onto a lot of modern day soul records. It also appears to be the most realized effort here, clocking in at nearly 3 1\/2 minutes.<\/span><\/p>\n

Yet these things don\u2019t have to be complete to be lauded. \u201cA1I,\u201d the shortest selection here, slithers with aplomb through its 45 seconds and \u201cA1F\u201d neatly uses starts, stops and skips in ways that demands attention and respect. By the time \u201cA1J\u201d winds everything down with its traditional piano sounds and repetitive formula, it\u2019s somewhat hard to even understand what just hit you, which, of course, is the point.<\/span><\/p>\n

Because remember: These aren\u2019t tracks designed to be digested the same way your run-of-the-mill pop compositions would be digested. These are ideas, fleeting notions that know precisely how long they deserve to stick around and precisely how much of them ought to be revealed. That\u2019s the beauty. With \u201c\/\/\/A1,\u201d New God have found previously unknown frontiers. To see how they eventually explore them will be the fun part.<\/span><\/p>\n

For now, though, it\u2019s our duty to be left speechless.<\/span><\/p>\n

*** 3\u00a0STARS OUT OF 4 ***<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sometimes, there\u2019s no use in dissecting a record note for note, song for song, chorus for chorus. Sometimes, there\u2019s a piece of art out there that truly transcends description, something…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":917497,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-917496","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-reviews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fnpsites.net\/playlist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/917496","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fnpsites.net\/playlist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fnpsites.net\/playlist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fnpsites.net\/playlist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fnpsites.net\/playlist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=917496"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/fnpsites.net\/playlist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/917496\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fnpsites.net\/playlist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/917497"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fnpsites.net\/playlist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=917496"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fnpsites.net\/playlist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=917496"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fnpsites.net\/playlist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=917496"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}