AZALIA SNAIL - Neon Resistance

The psychedelic sibyl Azalia Snail, while staying true to her do-it-yourself spirit, finally transforms wholesale into a purveyor of little tunes with "Neon Resistance", yet another example of her ability to get a lot out of a little (a cheap keyboard and a PC), of her unindulgent love of the past, of her creative songwriting and of her orchestrations, once again as eccentric as ever (all her classic clutter of echoes, reverbs and effects).

The opening anthem "Celeste" (a small tribute to the West coast sound: little organ and swaggering Hendrix-style guitar work) and then "Weekend Back" (a pounding beat, squealing, frazzled little trumpets) lay out both the virtues and the vices of her aesthetic. The electronic shuffle "Field Rep", worthy of Saint Etienne, a "Made Out Of Honey" that also recalls the more melodic Fiery Furnaces, the simple but enchanted nursery rhymes of "Every Day Is Your Day" and "Save This Place" and, as the high point, the soaring vocal performance of "Ode To Vega" over vocalisations, sighs and a bouncing rhythm, form the heart of the record, a heart made of danceable tempos, at times South American in flavor (the best example being "Cherry Blossom") and happy melodies, even if built on little chants that show inevitable signs of wear.

Having defenestrated her cosmic inspiration, the Maryland artist corrects with classic transparency and serene sincerity the transitional fevers of her predecessors "Avec Amour" (2006) and "Celestial Respect" (2011). Her typical modes and forms are expressed at a pop level - often truly basic - but with drive and great propulsion, to the point of making it the best-crafted and most easily digestible record of her late period. Her decade-long expertise as a visionary plays a part here, not least the experience gained with her husband Dan West (also present here) under the name LoveyDove. Almost every track could become a future lo-fi hit, and yet there are only two moments that are truly moving: the Diana Ross-esque anthem "I Am The Night Sky", built on cut-price electronic drones and little else, and "The Wild One Forever", her requiem for Tom Petty.

Also out on cassette via Thokei Tapes.

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24/04/2018