Archie Pelago - Breezy Whey / Backflight

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  • Archie Pelago records are a little like wandering through a strange city, where detours are encouraged and in every side street something unexpected but wonderful lurks, whether it's John Coltrane sax solos or pizzicato cellos. As they proved on the meandering quarter-hour epic "Sly Gazabo," and their spellbinding RA podcast, the New York trio are at their most effective when working with large canvases. Which is perhaps why their latest record feels slightly underwhelming. "Breezy Whey"'s saxophones billow like curtains in a breeze, but the Greek-island-at-sunset mood jars with stuttering woodblock and snares. Archie Pelago's live instruments usually complement—and riff off—dance sounds, but here the pad-aping sax stabs and cello arpeggios mimic traditional house elements rather than adding anything. "Backflight" is better, with rugged subs anchoring a dawn chorus of honking sax and strings that are delayed softly until they flutter like birds. Thefft's remix clips the track's wings. It applies a wonky filter to the trills and squeals, and shifts the focus to the low-end as it bounces between crunchy toms.
  • Tracklist
      A Breezy Whey B1 Backflight B2 Backflight (Thefft remix)
RA