Artificial Countrysides: Elf Power–Album Review
Artificial Countrysides: Elf Power–Album Review
Elf Power is releasing their first new album in 5 years, and 14th overall, this summer with Artificial Countrysides, coming out on July 15th on Yep Roc Records. Elf Power are veterans of the Athens, Georgia neo-psychedelic music scene and have been together for almost 30 years.
Artificial Countrysides is an album about the virtual world overtaking the natural one. In their own words, Elf Power says that the album is about “the gray zones where the natural world collides with the digital realm.”
Listening to the album is like floating through a digital landscape created in Minecraft or an MMORPG. The music hints at a reality that is only simulated. Like an MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game), it is easy to pass over it at first. But the more time you spend playing, the more detail you notice. There are some twists and turns in this album that you will not expect or notice unless you have a good attention span and give the album the attention that it deserves.
The album opens with “Undigested Parts”, the lead single from the album. After a brief info, the tracks ushers in a strong beat and then the vocals come in just a few seconds later. The beat is heavy and pounding. It’s a steady, menacing, marching rhythm that gives you a feeling of orderly danger. The unusual drum sound is achieved by combining live drum recording and the sound of a drum machine. The guitars are incredibly fuzzed out, the keyboards are dreamy, and the melody is sweet.
Artificial Countrysides is an album about the virtual world overtaking the natural one.
The transition into the next song, “Clean Clothes” is a little more jarring. This song itself is gentler and has a softer mood. The drums are not pounding, the fuzz is softened, and the vocals are more subdued. The lyrics are dystopian as hell, referencing the surveillance state we live in and the internet creeping over us and consuming more and more of our lives with each passing day.
“Artificial Countrysides” has a more jangly opening and the song title summarizes the aesthetics of the album. The music has an almost pastoral vibe, but the digital sound makes it unsettling. You should be happy and carefree, but this music has any uncanny valley vibe. A lot of psychedelic music has an ethereal, escapist vibe, but Elf Power subverts that on this.
The album wavers in intensity for a bit and gets heavier with “Gas Inside the Tank”, but then drifts into the soft, dreamy brain fog of “Soft Trash”. “Gas Inside the Tank” has a country beat and twanging guitar line in the verse but shifts to straight rock during the choruses.
Jason Thrasher
The best song on the album might be “Filming the Sequel Before the Actors Die”. This is the rawest song on the album. It’s also one of the most danceable songs on the record and feels like a club song. Like the other tracks, the mood drifts through the song and takes the listener through a few different moods. This song has an extended solo that is probably the most melodic moment on the album.
“Did It Really Exist?” is a song about questioning reality. Thematically, this song hits harder than any of the other songs. It is also one of the most important in terms of tying the album’s mood together. In the modern age of disinformation and unreality, it is hard to know what is real and what is not.
The album ends with “Constantly Touching”, which has a quiet opening that contrasts with the previous song, “Pouring Hot Water on the Anthills”. The dynamics of “Constantly Touching” grow into a crescendo. The harmony is a little more complicated than some of the other songs, and it has a melodic instrumental section that matches “Filming the Sequel Before the Actors Die”.
Artificial Countrysides is a strong album, especially upon repeated listens. There is a lot of nuance and detail on this album. It might not appear on any “best of” lists, but this is a rewarding experience and statement about the modern world. After the album is released on July 15th, the band is going on an East Coast tour to support it.
The best song on the album might be “Filming the Sequel Before the Actors Die”. This is the rawest song on the album. It’s also one of the most danceable songs on the record and feels like a club song. Like the other tracks, the mood drifts through the song and takes the listener through a few different moods. This song has an extended solo that is probably the most melodic moment on the album.
“Did It Really Exist?” is a song about questioning reality. Thematically, this song hits harder than any of the other songs. It is also one of the most important in terms of tying the album’s mood together. In the modern age of disinformation and unreality, it is hard to know what is real and what is not.
The album ends with “Constantly Touching”, which has a quiet opening that contrasts with the previous song, “Pouring Hot Water on the Anthills”. The dynamics of “Constantly Touching” grow into a crescendo. The harmony is a little more complicated than some of the other songs, and it has a melodic instrumental section that matches “Filming the Sequel Before the Actors Die”.
Artificial Countrysides is a strong album, especially upon repeated listens. There is a lot of nuance and detail on this album. It might not appear on any “best of” lists, but this is a rewarding experience and statement about the modern world. After the album is released on July 15th, the band is going on an East Coast tour to support it.
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