vWhat can one truly expect of a record that starts with
someone singing ‘Felling groovy, oh yeah’?
In the case of International Peoples Gang’s Action
Painting, this is not so much a statement of intent
as a simple evocation, an idea amongst others.
Formed around the nucleus of Martyn Watson and Ric Peet,
International Peoples Gang, which takes its name from
lyrics of David Bowie’s Panic In Detroit,
from Aladdin Sane, first appeared nearly fifteen
years ago with tracks published on various compilations
and a first self titled album released in 1995 on the
first instance of Em:t. Although the pair have continued
to work together, notably producing the 2001 album Draw
from the late singer songwriter Matthew Jay. Since,
the pair have been working on a variety of projects,
yet Action Painting is only there second full-length
album.
Apparently based on Jackson Pollock’s approach
to art, Watson and Peet use the concept of sound as
primary material for their compositions, assemble them
in meaningful pieces and reaching for a somewhat eclectic
yet accessible frame. It would be wrong to dismiss the
deceptively simple pop-infused melodies as anything
more than predictable lounge electronica. If the surface
music can appear to lack challenge, on closer listen,
each one of the thirteen tracks presented here reveal
multitude of fine layers which seem to constantly interact
with each other, altering the tone of a piece through
minute touches. Whether it is via a delicate guitar
melody, sweeping string works or quirky vocal samples,
IPG constantly surprise and intrigue without ever appearing
to do so.
The album opens with the gentle and summery This
One and sets the tone for the rest of the record.
Stretch may seems like a simple extension of
a same concept, yet IPG discreetly introduce new elements
and already set out to alter their original template,
a move which is further reinforced on the shimmering
and dubby AC Harmonics. Here, IPG use the cinematic
aspect of their work to impressive effect. Later, they
engage the vocal talent of Anne Pepiri on Fireworks
and Katty Heath on the closing Stop to accentuate
the slight melancholic twist of these compositions,
while Myopic or Polite State feed
on factual statements applied on factual found sounds.
This constant shift of tone, from laidback evocative
pieces to playful collages, give this album its radiant
feel and actually deflects the focus of the listener
from the actual effort required to achieve such light-hearted
result.
4.3/5 |
