“Everybody’s Talkin At Me” – PAP Reviews 3.0
Another batch of reviews this week for “Pink and Purple” – some REALLY nice ones in there! Including one which calls me a funky pasty hipster from Brooklyn… Just trying to make my mama proud!
Check it out:
Okayplayer – “A warm familiarity while still sounding like nothing I’ve ever heard… Constantly evolving soundscapes, each song moving in a variety of different directions without sacrificing coherence… A penchant for guitar and synth solos with an aptitude that conjures a Discovery-era Daft Punk. These sound as though they are as natural as breathing to Wilkis, and his ear for timing and melody is quite remarkable, pointing to the real star of Pink and Purple: taste… PAP could be dissected endlessly on a formal level, but their true merit lies in the fact that they are best enjoyed for the way they feel, achieving the balls-to-the-wall sense of fun that keeps people returning to the ‘80s.”
Tuftsmania – “I’m being completely honest here, I’d never heard of Alan Wilkis and now wishing I had sooner. This sound is pure and shameless pop with a healthy 150 u/L drip of IV funk… Hand claps, crunked vintage synth, sslaaappin’ da baaahhsss maaahhnnn, a HORN and SAX (!!!!!!!!)… I’m hearing throwbacks to so many great and different classics… Hall & Oates, Brian Eno, Bowie, of course Michael Jackson (RIP). Shit’s on lock… Make sure you drop by his space and listen to every track in the player.”
Popmatters – “AW has reinvented himself again… A slice of unadulterated electrofunk heaven… A multi-instrumentalist of considerable skill—his guitar playing, in particular, used to drop jaws. But he sits now with fellow literate-NYers Chromeo, restricting himself to a single style, and embracing it without irony for the pure fun to be had. And this is some kind of fun… Song after song of pristine genre pieces with the quality to become new parts of the canon. So much so that you get this warm familiar feeling listening to the EP—not that you’ve heard it before, but that you’re rekindling an old friendship.”
Pasta Primavera – “The grooves on this bad mamma jamma (thass right) leave everything else in the dust… This thing channels P-Funk soaked with Rockwell’s sweat. If you’re looking for some summer jammy jams….go ahead and get that Wilkis funk.”
Ears of the Beholder – “I can’t wait to bust it out at some parties… Packed with some delicious funk flavors including synths, background singers, thumping bass and even some rapping… Basically it’s a nice big chunk of funk.”
Pigeons and Planes – “Damn sure does not disappoint! From the melodies, to the instrumentation, to the lyrics and even voice effects; this EP is dope!!”
Les Enfants Terribles – “Some of the most dance-friendly summer jams to come across my speakers in a while… ’80s synthesizer funk a la Prince, Rick James, Funkadelic and Stevie Wonder… Saturday night roller skating music, so lace up those skates, free your mind and your ass most definitely will follow.”
AM, Then FM – “Alan has taken all kinds of musical influences, tossed them into the blender and come up with new sounds that nonetheless sound familiar. Made in 2009… straight outta 1984… This is the record of my summer so far… Kool and the Gang — no, that’s Earth, Wind and Fire — meet Jeff Lynne and Harold Faltermeyer… Echoes of Peter Gabriel, Queen and Prince… I mention the influences only as a guide. Alan has reimagined them in remarkable fashion.”
Katarokkar – “The 808/casio/hooks/harmonies/dance-off awesomeness exploding from multi-instrumentalist Alan Wilkis’ new EP ‘Pink and Purple’ is an obvious tribute to 80s pop and cheesy beats… [AW] has expanded his artistic abilities to the dance floor and the results are rewarding.”
Pelican’s Perch – “In a genre all it’s own. You’ll notice almost immediately how upbeat and fun his music is… Alan has crafted the best 80’s throwback album of 2009 and an album I couldn’t recommend more to brighten your summer days a bit.”
I Really Love Music – “Quickly found myself grinning from ear to ear… A lovely set of 80s referencing pop music… Just sooo damn catchy… Very enjoyable.”
Snob’s Music – “Who knew a pasty hipster from Brooklyn could make ’80s throwback music this funky?”
Silence is a Rhythm Too – “Delivers a slice of prime Minneapolis sound funk.”
A Shout and a Whisper [DJ set in Second Life!!! Straight up virtual reality, baby!!!]
Undomondo – “6 songs of laidback electropop.”
Now Shake, Rattle, and Roll [Spanish blog]
Synthetic Rocks [Spanish review]
Planeta Pop [Radio Show in Madrid, Spain]
We Love Donuts Too [German? I think this one's German... a little help!]
Add comment June 27th, 2009
