Edan Serge Gillen
"Darlene"
7"
BLK
THNDR RKRDS
Genre: outsider, pop
Sep 15 2008 |
Information is sparse when it comes to Edan Serge Gillen,
although as far as I can discern, this EP was originally put out as a
small-scale CDR release before getting eternalized in vinyl by the
folks at BLK THNDR RKRDS. What we get is a
brilliantly bizarre D.I.Y. nugget that ranks as one of my most prized
seven-inch possessions. The A-side kicks off with a wham in "High
School Dance," a frantic rave-up of fifties pop that sends you back to
a very, very warped highschool ballroom. "Memphis, Tennessee" is a bit
less consistent, but its dark chorus provides a beautiful dash of
noir. Meanwhile, "Darlene" is the record's sterling ballad, a
touching, modernized 50s-era sap song given Gillen's oddball
tongue-in-cheek twist. All this is not unlike one of the more
accessible Half Japanese records, but more all-over-the-place. Gillen
turns each song into quixotic mess of ideas, implementing trademark
components of fifties music and beyond – "be-bop-a-lulas," iconic
piano riffs, a moody organ part, and so on.
Switch over to side B for a less accessible romp. "Wrong" is a
journey of sorts, following our protagonist as he rhymes about gunning
down a rival and evading the police. As the story progresses, the
music changes accordingly, resulting in several really good bits
amidst a wildly metamorphosing song experience. Eerie "My Love is a
Fire" ends the record in a strange, futuristic haze - it seems oddly
appropriate, although it is far more experimental than the record's
other songs.
Alternately funny and creepy, Edan Serge Gillen's Darlene
seven-inch is a bizarrely whimsical romp that could be the greatest
single to come out since the fifties. Or at least the most original
one.
edan
serge gillen's myspace
87%
youuuuuuuutube!:
"memphis,
tennessee" video,
gillen live on piano
Matt Shimmer
[Vitals: 5 tracks, distributed by
the
label,
released 2008] |
