Mature Themes
In the \'00s, Ariel Pink home-recorded a number of murky and intriguing cassettes. Cobbling together several influences but transcending the hollowness of pure retro imitation, Pink created wonderfully eccentric pop. With the 2010 release of his 4AD debut, *Before Today*, his distinct songwriting and arranging skills were professionally produced for the first time, and the results were impressive. (His band, Haunted Graffiti, is perfectly tuned into Pink’s aesthetic.) 2012’s *Mature Themes* is a fine follow-up. The Beverly Hills native has always had a zany side, and it\'s in evidence here. (Some passages evoke Frank Zappa, another musician with a wiseass sense of humor and a taste for pastiche.) The album opens strongly with “Kinski Assassin,” which features a delightful sense of wordplay and a hook that stays with you. A number of other songs are good, and *Mature Themes* closes strongly with a cover of Donnie & Joe Emerson’s “Baby.” The original could almost be a \'60s low-rider ballad, but it actually was recorded in the late \'70s in the Pacific Northwest. Pink’s version nicely echoes the dreaminess of the Emersons’ smooth jam.
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Mature Themes is Ariel Pink's grittier, gristlier, and funnier follow-up, an album that clarifies that Before Today was not a sign of things to come but rather just a signpost along his strange journey.
Mature Themes is Ariel Pink's grittier, gristlier, and funnier follow-up, an album that clarifies that Before Today was not a sign of things to come but rather just a signpost along his strange journey.
Ariel Pink has been putting out album after album of brilliantly strange pop scraps for a decade now, attracting a cult fandom convinced of his prodigious songwriting talent while being dismissed by others as an oddball novelty act. The cohesion and relative accessibility of 2010’s Before Today suggested Pink’s…
Ariel Pink has been putting out album after album of brilliantly strange pop scraps for a decade now, attracting a cult fandom convinced of his prodigious songwriting talent while being dismissed by others as an oddball novelty act. The cohesion and relative accessibility of 2010’s Before Today suggested Pink’s…
Pink's second brilliant record in a row,pushing his success further in all directions. Funnier, freakier and friendlier, it’s a near constant treat.
Pink's second brilliant record in a row,pushing his success further in all directions. Funnier, freakier and friendlier, it’s a near constant treat.
With all the buzz that’s been building for him and his Haunted Graffiti bandmates over the last several years, this new…
With all the buzz that’s been building for him and his Haunted Graffiti bandmates over the last several years, this new…
Indie success hasn't done anything to sway Ariel Rosenberg's unyielding dedication to kitschy, sex-obsessed synth-pop; Kinski Assassin – the bawdy opening statement of his sophomore album with a band – gives a fairly accurate portrayal of what to expect from this trip: a retro-indebted production style, stupidly contagious hooks and poorly disguised sexual references (these range from “I sunk my battleship” to “blowjobs of death”).
Indie success hasn't done anything to sway Ariel Rosenberg's unyielding dedication to kitschy, sex-obsessed synth-pop; Kinski Assassin – the bawdy opening statement of his sophomore album with a band – gives a fairly accurate portrayal of what to expect from this trip: a retro-indebted production style, stupidly contagious hooks and poorly disguised sexual references (these range from “I sunk my battleship” to “blowjobs of death”).
Now that Ween has officially (finally?) ceded the throne of comedy rock, maybe it's time we give Ariel Marcus Rosenberg, better known as Ariel Pink, his rightful crown.
Now that Ween has officially (finally?) ceded the throne of comedy rock, maybe it's time we give Ariel Marcus Rosenberg, better known as Ariel Pink, his rightful crown.
Ariel Pink's genre-hopping second album for 4AD frustrates as much as it delights, writes <strong>Phil Mongredien</strong>
Ariel Pink's genre-hopping second album for 4AD frustrates as much as it delights, writes <strong>Phil Mongredien</strong>
A man without a scene, a full-tilt radical with nothing to rebel against, Ariel Pink has never really found his place.
A man without a scene, a full-tilt radical with nothing to rebel against, Ariel Pink has never really found his place.
He's more conventional than he used to be, but Ariel Pink's warped pop vision will still have you wondering whether it's all for real, writes <strong>Michael Hann</strong>
He's more conventional than he used to be, but Ariel Pink's warped pop vision will still have you wondering whether it's all for real, writes <strong>Michael Hann</strong>