Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti

For once that's not some stupid title I've dreamt up, it's the name of the artist I'm writing about.




There isn't much information floating around about Ariel Pink, but I gather that he's been releasing very low-fi music on cassette tapes for over ten years, mostly made on a four-track recorder. The project is articulated around Ariel Pink himself (real name... jokes.) with the Haunted Graffiti providing a band element. The above single Round and Round will be appearing on an 'official' debut album, Before Today, sometime later this year on 4AD. In contrast to the previous releases, the production is very smooth, and there's a real 80s American FM-friendly sheen to it.


"Na na na naaaaaaaaaa...."


The chanted refrain and reverby guitar sounds very California - think the Mamas and the Papas - and ringing telephone in the middle is pretty psychedelic. Basically it all sounds BIG.


I bought one-time-massive-indie-crush Laura Marling's second album on Monday which I will probably write about in a week or two when I've read enough reviews to copy someone else's opinion.