This LP was the first to get dissed on my blog, I think on the second post ever. Here's what I said:
Who cares?
John Maus (he is Chapterhouse to Ariel Pink’s MBV)
Anyway since deciding to listen to Screen Memories by John Maus out of the blue last year I've had a change of heart. Dismissing him as a z-grade Ariel Pink back in 2011 wasn't really fair was it? I mean he was Pink's band mate, collaborator and friend. It was a bit like saying Hugo Race was a bit Bad Seeds-y, hell yeah he was because he was part of the fucking original band. So I had to buy We Must Become The Pitiless Censors of Ourselves again this year and well I love it. It's now giving Rustie and Adele a run for their money as quite possibly my favourite record of 2011. Been diggin last year's Addendum and 2017's Screen Memories too. Now there's some more catching up to do.
Does this also mean a reappraisal of Chapterhouse is in order?
How about this below anthem? Believer gives me the pure pop goose bumps. It's amazing that I could disregard an LP that has now had such an emotional impact on me.
Can only give my own two cents to say that album might be my favorite of this century, in an age where digital minimalist approaches are poor attempts at concealing a lack of ideas his sound has got real heft to it. Hooks n tunes aplenty too. There's room for him and Ariel Pink in the world, all the better for both. Love is Real from 2007 is brilliant too. I imagine his interviews might put people off, make them mistake him for a pseud talking up bad synth pop. Not at all
ReplyDeleteI guess it's time to finally check out 'Love Is Real'.
ReplyDeleteI try to avoid artist interviews because it often makes them look like dicks and then I can't listen to their music any more. God even sometimes a photo will do that for me. Maybe that says more about me than the artists though. Haha.
His interviews are cool, I think he is a very smart man.
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