Disco Is Halfway To A Full Discontent

Of Montreal “Feminine Effects” – Kevin Barnes’ character in “Feminine Effects” feels entirely powerless, to the point that she feels that she owes her identity and happiness to her rich boyfriend, who took her out of the country and brought her to the “real city.” The song is a rather gutting mixture of emotions — there’s tenderness, love, and gratitude, but also a deep sadness and this unarticulated, barely conscious guilt and resentment. Much of Barnes’ recent work has tended toward the abstract and purposefully gaudy, but he’s extremely successful in communicating a great deal of emotional complexity in this song with only a spare arrangement and simple, straightforward lyrics. In just the first line — “Bobby, baby, you make me so blurry inside” — he conveys so much about this girl’s inner life, and the conflict in her mind between wanting comfort, glamor, and affection, and her desire to discover her own identity. (Click here to buy it from Green Owl Records.)

Cornershop “People Power” – In his very best songs, Tjinder Singh contrasts his relatively sedate voice with joyous, colorful grooves. The tunes feel like casual celebrations in the context of everyday life; a small allowance of pure pleasure in a day otherwise filled up with the hardships and boredoms of routine. Even in a full-on disco track like “People Power,” Singh comes across as an introverted guy who doesn’t feel entirely at home in his body or on a dance floor, but he’s certainly a person who acknowledges the empowerment of joy and togetherness — the song is essentially a fantasy of pleasure and freedom, on both a personal and cultural level. Singh’s music has a way of drawing the listener in, and triggering a response from the listener — for example, the other day I was listening to “Brimful of Asha” on the subway, and it took every bit of strength I had to keep myself from singing along. I think this is very deliberate thing on his part — he’s willing to go halfway, but he needs you to complete the song. (Click here to buy it used for an extremely low price from Amazon.)