Album Review: Ariel Pink
Dedicated To Bobby Jameson
words by Kyra Bruce
Ariel Pink is an eccentric but organized musician that has always made songs somewhere between a haunted house soundtrack, dream pop, and experimental lo-fi and his latest release Dedicated To Bobby Jameson is no exception.
Bobby Jameson has an interesting story that seems right up Ariel Pink’s mysterious alley. He was promoted as the next mega star in the ‘60s and after he didn’t live up to the lofty promises of greatness and un-equaled musical talent, he faded from the spotlight, struggled with drugs, alcoholism, and severe depression that led to several suicide attempts. Jameson was believed to be dead for years until he resurfaced in 2007 to tell the public that he was never even paid for his released music.
Ariel seems to be using Jameson as a muse on this, his most cohesive and intimate album yet. This album has deeply intimate and nostalgic dream-pop numbers like “Feels Like Heaven” and “I Wanna Be Young” while it also offers Ariel Pink’s classic warped punk-disco sound on songs like “Dreamdate Narcissist” and “Bubblegum Dreams”. This album covers everything from David Bowie-synth-pop to dark lo-fi-rock, it is absurd and somehow cohesive. The whole album is tied together with it’s deeply nostalgic feel, meaningful lyrics, and experimental yet put together sound.
Ariel seems to use the failure of Bobby Jameson as his inspiration for this deeply personal record that may be a statement on Ariel’s own transformation in the public eye from a weirdo experimental outsider to a big name in the industry. Ariel is constantly changing his sound and seeing how far he can push his music. This is the album that I would recommend listening to if you want to get into Ariel Pink, listen to it below!