Castle In The Sand

Gigi “I’m Not Coming Out Tonight”

Gigi is a project that exists almost entirely because songwriter Nick Krgovich and producer Colin Stewart acquired vintage plate reverb units, a central component of Phil Spector’s classic recordings from the early ’60s. Though in some ways it is disappointing that those two men and their various collaborators chose to emulate those old records rather than attempt to make something totally new with the same technology, who can blame them when that sound is so specific and seductive? I’m sure in the future we’ll have people rediscovering vintage autotune software and making their own T-Pain music. The album is basically like a costume drama, with various singers slipping into the aural equivalent of period clothing and delivering studied approximations of mid-20th century pop mannerisms.

It’s not all so self-conscious, though. “I’m Not Going Out Tonight,” a song recorded with Syndey Vermont and Marissa Johnson, is so stunning in its composition and emotionally affecting in its execution that the plate reverb falls back to being a supporting player rather than the star of the show. This is how it ought to be, obviously. That sound may be a beautiful thing, but the primary reason it has so much cultural resonance is because it was applied to expertly crafted songs that conveyed earnest desire. This is why so many artists cop this sound or lift the “Be My Baby” beat — it is cultural shorthand for the work of artists who found a way to perfectly express innocent, starry-eyed passion. “I’m Not Going Out Tonight” is successful because it’s less about context and nostalgia, and more focused on conveying a powerful longing in its melody, lyrics, and vocal performance. This is heart-melting stuff, especially as the girls sing “I love you so much I can’t stand it” with a lovely angelic cadence as the music reaches its crest. Whereas the other tracks are decent compositions written for the plate reverb, this is a piece of music that truly earns the effect.

Buy it from Amazon.