Thursday 29 July 2010

SILVER APPLES – GREMLINS EP (GIFTED CHILDREN RECORDS)


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.

No comments: