Joshua Ralph is someone I'd like to meet in person.

A year ago, I was looking through some new releases, when "Music to Mauzner By" caught my eye. I had seen the video for Baby, shown on 120 Minutes, once, and thought the song was catchy, but had no intention of buying the album. A few minutes later, I returned and picked it up, noting it was only $8 at the time.

As I left, I popped it in the CD player for the drive home, and instantly knew I'd like this disc. Ralph has little experience playing any of the instruments you hear on the album, yet it coalesces into this cacophony that's insanely fun to hear.

Let me elaborate. To produce this album, Joshua Ralph holed himself up in an abandoned movie theatre with a few other musicians. From what I read, the song structures were simple, a catchy hook or riff, from which textures and sounds were added.

It sounds like a recipe for inaccessible ambient music, but Ralph added vocals, mostly his own, and key instruments that draw the listener into the noise. There is structure here, and the added noises and samples surround you, immersing you into the song.

What kind of music is it? That's hard to describe. Each song lends itself to several genres, most notably pop, electronica, and jazz. Symphonic, salsa, even some country twang all find themselves thrown into the mix.

Spy mixed and matched until he thought he could do no better. And it's hard to disagree. Tracks such as Leave Me Alone, Fire It Up, and Won't You Come Down, all vary in terms of structure, pacing, and the instrumentation used, but the album melds together to form an incredible ode to Spy's talent. Many of the songs incorporate low-fi production values that augment his voice. The last track on the album is performed by the New York Film Harmonic, arranged by Ralph, and further cements his genius.

It's hard to classify the album, and that's the strongest argument I have for buying it. Invariably, you'll like at least one song on it, it's musical reach so wide as to encompass numerous genres. It serves as an incredible party album as well.

Spy:
2 Cups Fountains of Wayne/The Rentals
1 Cup Massive Attack
1/2 Cup Garbage

Add a healthy dash of folk, orchestra, and anarchy.

Mix well.
Enjoy.



Recommended: Yes