YIP-YIP
Two Kings Of The Same Kingdom
SAF19
S.A.F. Records 2008
12 Tracks. 24min09sec

There was a time, namely the 1970s, when analog synthesizers were a very new and volatile instrument for rock music and its derivations. The advent of more portable and affordable synthesizers meant that small-time renegade groups with nothing to lose got their hands on these messes of transistors, eventually developing into very interesting records, from Pere Ubu to Gary Newman to The Normal. Such oddball use of analogue gear weren’t long for the semi-mainstream, as the eighties ushered in an era of sequencers and digital synthesis, while synthpop groups produced meticulously edited studio masterpieces, ditching much of the grit. Even the likes of Cabaret Voltaire moved closer to the dance floor. Picking up the avant garde, warts-and-all spirit of pioneering synth-punkers are Yip-Yip, a Florida-based duo consisting of Brian Esser and Jason Temple, whose gear list (included here in the otherwise-sparse liner notes) is a treasure-trove of analogue (and cheap digital) history.

The pieces on Two Kings Of The Same Kingdom are on the shorter side, with most tracks clocking in at around two minutes. The tracks are all constructed of the same ingredients – a brief pattern of a few notes, interrupted by a bridge, featuring charmingly erratic backing from a vintage drum machine. With such similar structures and tempi, the tracks bleed into one another well, to the extent that the album itself ends up feeling like one extended and erratic improvisation session. This improvisatory element is a blessing and a curse, as Two Kings is riddled with moments in which Yip-Yip’s whole ship threatens to tank. Thankfully, such noodling slippages are usually brief, and often followed by locks on some fist-pumpingly satisfying patterns.

Sound-wise, Two Kings could best be described as the aural equivalent to the distorted Atari graphics packaging that adorns the album. There are a few highlights that stick with the listener, such as the snapping false starts and gurgling bridge synths of Club Mummy, or the descending filters of slow(er) number Genius Beast, but in general, Two Kings demands to be experienced as a whole. At less than 25 minutes, it’s not such a difficult feat, either.

In physical format, Two Kings also comes with a DVD, featuring videos for each of the album’s 12 tracks. Incorporating performance clips (with Yip-Yip donning their trademark black-and-white checkered body suits) with charmingly unprofessional and painfully colorful video effects, the videos perfectly match the songs. It’s also fitting that the footage for these videos was captured on VHS tape – an analogue, degradable, and technologically outdated format. The videos are nothing particularly mind-blowing, but as an incentive to actually purchase the album, they work decently well.

Two Kings Of The Same Kingdom will not sell itself to listeners based on melody; Yip-Yip aren’t interested in harmonies or song structure. Those with no interest in synthesizers and their quirks need not apply, but as a short piece of electronic hard candy, Two Kings makes for a compulsively playable release.

3/5

Yip-Yip | S.A.F. Records
CD | iTunes