Emanuel & the Fear Sing Subduction
October 19, 2008
Emanuel & the Fear
Emanuel & the Fear at The Bowery Poetry Club
Alright (We’re All)
Our initial interest in this Brooklyn band comes not so oddly enough from the group’s front man, Emanuel Ayvas. When listening to his earlier works, it is immediately clear that he has a talented imagination and an ear for composition. Ayvas’ juxtaposition of acoustic piano and synthesized layers is always a beautiful thing. Now, playing as Emanuel & the Fear, Ayvas has cut a new demo that incorporates a legion of musicians into the fold. The result is an ultra polished soundscape that deviates slightly from the more barebones approach employed thus far. If Alright (We’re All) is any indication, Emanuel & the Fear now walks the finest line of pop revelry. On the one hand Emanuel’s voice is modulated with the bionic specter of Todd Fink, and on the other the emulsion produced could be easily sampled by the likes of Daft Punk. The song continues his initial project of the acoustic-synth love affair, with flutes and violins layered between ephemeral flourishes, but its production injects a sense of volume and body not present previously. The expansion is fitting considering the futuristic robot uprising the song chronicles. Emanuel sings “We’re All Alright” as an artificially subdued witness to the shocking events around him. It mimics the ideology discussed in THX 1138 (strange how Robert Duval is an ardent McCain supporter). Emanuel & the Fear compose from a creative space that I am extraordinarily fond of. I look forward to hearing what else they have cooked up.
-FF
http://www.myspace.com/emanuelandthefear
http://www.myspace.com/emanuelayvas
They kind of remind me of all the bad things about Bright-eyes, NMH and “poetic” shit like that.
I’d call these guys dense and layered, but not poetic.