Worn Copy

Description

Had Ariel Pink not resumed recording in the late 2000s, after a five-year hiatus, Worn Copy would have been a perfect ending point. The monolithic achievement was Ariel's most adventurous collection, a hybrid world of mutant sounds and instantly memorable songs. The title Worn Copy is a nod to Pink's fanaticism for his idols – The Cure, Can, and Throbbing Gristle, for example – whose records he constantly played. Ariel Pink's formative years working in a record store have already been told; listeners of Worn Copy can imagine the album's musical universe as that of a music nerd who has unveiled the dark secret of music's power, making a sort of Faustian bargain among the record bins. The opening track, "Trepanated Earth," is an epic ten-minute piece that recounts a narrative duel between two of Ariel Pink's alter egos, one good and one evil. It also features the classic "Life in L.A.," a remarkable ode to aimless living in Los Angeles. In contrast, songs like "Bloody! (Bagonia's)" or "Jagged Carnival Tours" reveal the grotesque and abject side of Worn Copy. They are built on stylistic inclinations described as perversions around multiple characters and unpredictable changes. Finally, a track like "Foilly Foibles / GOLD" blends the pop and perverted sides, revealing many influences heard throughout the album; early Factory Records, DIY post-punk, industrial, goth, and even 60s psychedelic pop.2LP