Ariel Pink
So Ariel's "House Arrest" is around the corner, just about to get re-released by Todd at Paw Tracks. But what about these two babies? I picked them up at the Pink gig at Scratch this summer, classic ruff and ready CD-R bizniss from a guy with a stall, and it must be said that "Scared Famous" is the best of the lot. Better than "The Doldrums" and maybe even better than "Worn Copy."
The tunes are amongst Ariel's best, "Beefbud" is just perfect: Ray Davies dematerialising as he skiffles sideways. As people must have noticed all this music is reissued recordings, originally made, I dunno, a year or so ago, when Ariel must have been in the full throes of the starry dynamo. It reminds me, in a way, of how Radiohead turned one lot of sessions into "OK Computer", "Kid A" and "Amnesiac" and dined out on the vibe. Who knows what Mr. Pink's new stuff will be like?