A
Million Billion
Filthy
Schoolgirls EP (2005, Filthy
Schoolgirls)
Wisconsin native, Ryan Smith, AKA A Million Billion
may be known to some for his position as touring keyboardist for
ambient orchestral popsters, The Silent League. He's also assisted
on several other projects including Stars Like Fleas, Mogami and
has even successfully outdone Bloc Party with his remixed version
of 'Positive Tension'. Let's just say he gets around. Credentials
schmedentials, what of his latest enterprise?
I'll
have to admit - the opening track on Filthy Schoolgirls ('The Oceanographer's
Worst Nightmare') made me flinch a little. You know the feeling
- perhaps you tell your wife the mashed potatoes are too lumpy and
you prepare to meet the backside of her hand. I was met with two
full minutes of warm, glitchy pops and squelches - certainly not
what I was anticipating after perusing the press sheet, that promised
Sparklehorse and Mercury Rev-inspired mood-pop. In fact, the album
is bookended by this type of ambient, electronic exploration and,
suffice to say, once you listen to the entire EP through a few times
it becomes less and less a disruption and more a welcome amalgamation
of sounds.
The
tender, chewy insides of the EP, however, show off Smith's more
accesible pop-oriented side. Don't expect huge choruses and hooks
though - Ryan instead uses a hodepodge of instruments, found sounds
and his hushed vocals (that actually remind me of Sam from Iron
& Wine a bit) to sculpt bitter, yet moving pop songs. His love
for the glockenspiel is immediately evident on the majority of the
tracks, especially on the charming 'Home Wisconsin' and twinkling
'Starb'. The bittersweet ache of the classical violin on 'Time To
Be Tired' could cause even the most leather-skinned individual to
become stricken with emotion and flashbacks of their childhood gone
awry. I'd have to say this is my favorite track on the EP followed
not too far behind by the gloomy, elegiac lament of 'Sandcastles'
- which eerily reminds me of Phantom of The Opera. Gripes? The choral
lullaby on the title track tends to drag a bit and overstay its
welcome. Had this been cut in half it might not have been so intrusive
and unnecesary. Other than that...
It's
hard to believe Ryan created, assembled and recorded Filthy
Schoolgirls in only a few weeks. The more I listened to this
the more I began to realize and fully appreciate Smith's subtle
arrangements and fragile delivery. Couple that with the calm, soothing
haze the EP envelopes you with and you've found the perfect cure
for the unexpected panic attack. Had I quit the show after the initial
flinch I might not have been able to get this far and likely would
have cast this off on someone else to review. I'm glad I didn't.
Exercising patience with Filthy Schoolgirls should yield nothing
but positive results and satisfaction. Nicely done.
-Beat
8/23/05
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