| ATP - Welcome To My Psychedelic World |
| Revivalists
aren't anything new, God knows. As with any revival, the majority of
practitioners stick with the broad strokes, which for the current
80s/New Wave pop resurgence means either dancey synths (think New
Order) or lush psych pop (think The Cure.) While there's a lot to be
said for bringing out old sounds for a fresh go 'round, the truly
interesting stuff, unsurprisingly, comes from artists who dig deeper.
There's a difference between pulling out your uncle's record collection
for inspiration, and getting into the same mindset that motivated
artists from a past time to make the musical choices that shaped a
movement. ATP (aka Adenosine Tri Phosphate…yeesh) wobble ever so slightly between these two poles, displaying the muted but powerful psychedelic wash of Disintegration era Cure (they even cover "Fascination Street,") but often blending it with other era-specific, if oft-neglected, sources (early Mission, All About Eve.) Welcome To My Psychedelic World, their most recent full length, nails the misty atmospheres and subtle folk touches of the moment in the mid 80s when goth went pop, smoothing the jagged edges and luxuriating in an occasionally depressive but unfailingly gorgeous narcotic haze. Appropriate as the "Fascination Street" cover may seem at first blush, it ironically turns out to be one of the relatively weaker tracks: vocalist Taata's light, almost hesitant delivery clashes awkwardly with the lyrics' club hopping vitality. It's still pretty good, but elsewhere on the album, her mix of delicate breathiness and New Wave sky-reaching is what draws repeat listens. High point "A Song For Jennie" is soaring and grand, sweeping Taata along in a delirious whirlwind. On the other extreme, she takes the very Cure-like "Funeral Song's" musical gloom and twists it into an impassioned, defiant plea for human connection. She's enough to make ATP transcend the occasionally obvious musical touchstones, which can serve as a saving grace. "真っ白い時間" ("Masshiroi Jikan," i.e. "White Time") flirts dangerously with Enya fluff, but is redeemed by a resigned heartbreak that substitutes melancholy for mushiness. "Fly!" leans a bit too heavily on the hippie folk trappings that occasionally made All About Eve over precious, but ultimately stays on the right side of the line. "Fly!" isn't just buoyed by Taata's vocal turn, however. Welcome To My Psychedelic World is a grower, and it's the subtleties of the playing that reveal themselves over repeated listens, like "Fly's" almost Fripp-esque guitar asides from co-leader Mug. "Tomorrow Never Comes" is attractively creepy, rich atmospherics held in delicate balance by restrained guitar and barely there keyboard filigrees. Even when the song hits a peak, it's a mature, restrained peak, a quiet gravity that inspires chills. Much like The Cure's Disintegration, it can seem a bit long winded (Welcome To My Psychedelic World is just over an hour,) but also like Disintegration, the less gripping tracks still serve as pieces in the hazy mosaic. That said, at its best, Welcome To My Psychedelic World is as timeless as it is beholden to its antecedents. Above notes notwithstanding, the 80s signifiers are there, but flow so effortlessly that they don't constantly send you scrambling to your record collection for comparison. This is a band that has chosen their idiom and has calmly set about staking their own ground inside its parameters, luxuriating in the best, most attractive, and (despite its anxiety soaked origins) most soothing elements: goth comfort food. You can think back to black hair dye, beads and silk shirts if you must, but ATP sits just as comfortably in the now. An early forerunner for album of the year. |