Before Today

Before signing with 4AD, lo-fi alt.pop genius Ariel Pink had to make do with releasing his ouput on a ragbag collection of indie labels. His ingenious DIY compositions earned him the admiration of better-known acts (including Animal Collective and Klaxons), but there was a sense that his music hadn’t reached the audience it deserved.
That situation should be rectified with this long-player, which showcases Pink’s twisted pop sensibilities to perfection. The dominant style on Before Today is retro-surf, with many of the tracks sounding like undiscovered gems recorded long in the past (Pink’s ability to write atmospheric tunes that conjure feelings of nostalgia is rivalled only by Boards Of Canada). However, it’s the pop tunes that really enrapture: the hypnotic ‘Round and Round’, for example, finds Pink’s group, Haunted Graffiti (has there been a better name in recent years?) getting into a killer groove.
In addition, the singer has a wonderful way with words, with his poetic cut-up aesthetic recalling the skewed lyrical brilliance of Mark E. Smith, Robert Pollard and Steve Malkmus. Previously, he’s given us such brilliantly weird titles as ‘Cable Access Follies’, ‘Trepanated Earth’ and ‘Jagged Carnival Tours’; this time round the highlight is ‘Can’t Hear My Eyes’, the music to which is an inspired psych-pop cocktail.
There isn’t a track here as magical as the sublime ‘For Kate I Wait’ – one of my all time favourite songs – but there’s still plenty of quality material on offer. Oh, and it has one of the best album covers of the year.

Key track: ‘Round and Round