Is Autre Ne Veut fucking with us or what? Arthur Ashin has released his third full album, Age of Transparency¸ and it sounds exactly like what you’d expect someone who has spent a year a half alone in a small room in Brooklyn investing a lot of time in metaphors and thinking about “honesty” versus honesty and what connecting means would sound like. There is a good deal of beauty, and a tremendous amount of thought, in the production of this album. In our recent interview, Ashin told us he pushed himself to grow “by pushing myself into situations I’m not comfortable with [so I] can become a stronger better person without being coddled.” He has pushed the limits of convention and genre in creating this follow up to 2013’s critically-acclaimed Anxiety, working with a jazz ensemble and choir in the recording before retreating to mix the album alone. Exploring the impossibility of true transparency, Ashin has developed a strong concept and built the album from this abstract foundation up, but how accessible is the end product?
It opens with On and On (Reprise), a six minute deconstruction of what starts as a soulful belter with sparse accompaniment that descends into experimental whirring and piano scats, Ashin’s modern jazz influences apparent in the trilling flutes and throw-around vocals. Everything comes off the rails in the end in full breakdown, scattered and manic. Panic Room has been getting more radio play with a more easily digestible twinkly sound in which Ashin’s silky voice shines over electronic sighs. We’re back in the deep end quickly, though, with Cold Winds dousing us with dissonance, yawping bass groans leading to Ashin’s angelic tones, crying “I think you’re a god” over synth madness.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaLK3XJfVjk
The title track has more heavy jazz influences, and it is here that the depth and quality of Ashin’s production is showcased. He brings together the gorgeous choral backing with a snapping beat, a purity and clarity emerging from the chaos at last. Age of Transparency feels like the only track of the album that has some sense of unity, keeping the loose deconstructed feel that permeates the album but in the improvised jazz style, rather than disconcerting electronic jumps and glitches.
As the album winds down, Ashin continues to twist from wherever we expect him to go. Switch Hitter is a change again for Autre Ne Veut with a goopy RnB beat and nasal vocal changes and falsettos. Never Wanted is a twinkly love ballad with plucking harp tones and the harmonized choral backing swelling the track and then breaking it back down to a lazy bass and piano line. We are snapped out of this lovely interlude with the biting, sharp stabs of World War Pt. 2. Punctuated with pointed rising scales and a heavy electronic drones, World War Pt 2 highlights the disparity between Ashin’s expressive vocal quality and the jarring accompaniment, with a truly eerie video exploring the burdens we carry with us.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzFnojEjjiU
By the time we get to the break down in Over Now we know to expect the unexpected but are still thrown by the white noise tidal wave of static that cuts in at the three-minute mark, lest we begin to be lulled by the easy tempo and dulcet soothing of “It’s over now…” I know that Ashin has done something unique in Age of Transparency, I know that he’s finessed his craft and gone to places others wouldn’t and sought to create a message rather than just produce big tracks. But despite this I was relieved to get to the end of the album, listening to the unhinged modulating high notes and big choral foldbacks of Ashin reaching his triumphant end point. Get Out is seven and a half minutes long and explores the full gamut of Autre Ne Veut, the wild experimental electronic, the jazz and gospel accompaniment, the raw and ragged vocal breakdowns, the ultimate discomfort of dissonance. Ultimately, whether I’ve understood it or not, I know that Arthur Ashin is speaking a different language to everyone else.
Age of Transparency is out today.
Spoiled for choice this week, when it comes to new music? Sounds about right. Don’t worry though, because we’ve got you. Lots of Aussie talent (RaRa, Zone Out, GL and many more) flexing their knack for making damn good music, a killer hip hop collaboration from two of America’s finest, some dramatic synth pop and more – these are the ten songs from this week you need to hear NOW!
RaRa – young n dramatic
Melbourne hip hop act RaRa are quickly becoming one of my favourite acts in the country, and for good reason. If you’re yet to catch on, their latest track young n dramatic is the perfect introduction. Forward-thinking production, intelligent lyrics, four lead singers and their individual styles and some serious feels – this track has it all.
Zone Out – Inside
Zone Out are part of the legendary crew of Deaf Ambitions, sitting alongside acts like Crepes and Leisure Suite, so they’re in pretty good company. Inside marks just their second track on their SoundCloud, and what a doozy it is. Dream pop at it’s absolutely finest.
Autre Ne Veut – Panic Room
We caught up with Autre Ne Veut just last week, so it goes without saying that his latest single would be in this playlist. Crazy vocals, unpredictable synths, a whole lot of uncertain emotion – the man sounds quite panicked indeed. Taken from his latest album, Age of Transparency (which is out today!) this is Autre Ne Veut at his best.
GL – Number One
GL smashed it out of the park at last week’s OutsideIn festival in Sydney, then dropped this superb track just days after when fans were begging for more. It’s been a while since the release of their 2014 EP, Love Hexagon, but this track sees them welcomed back with wide open arms. Shimmery, fun, and just the right amount of 80’s nostalgia, this track sounds like Kylie Minogue-era Neighbours but with a modern touch.
KYLE – Remember Me? (Ft. Chance The Rapper)
It seems Chance The Rapper just can’t stop collaborating! This time, it’s with Californian rapper KYLE, and the results are a total dream. They’ve worked together previously back on The Social Experiment‘s Surf, and now they rejoin forces for Remember Me? Taken from KYLE’s upcoming album, Smyle, the Cali rapper said this was one of the hardest songs he’s had to write, but it definitely doesn’t show. Showing a bit of a slow and more pensive side to himself, Remember Me? is a soulful track with a lot to give.
Kuren – It Still Hurts
Yet another Australian producer making you feel bad about how little you have accomplished in your life, Kuren took the nation by storm this week with the release of It Still Hurts. Clearly taking note from the big dogs of the game, writing down their key moves and working them to his advantage, Kuren represents everything good about Australian dance music right now, and It Still Hurts is the proof. This song is a fucking jam.
Good Boy – Transparency
I’ve had my eye on Brisbane band Good Boy for a while now, and they definitely did not disappoint with their latest track. Sounding a little like a beer soaked version of The Ocean Party, their songs are refined and considered, and Transparency represents a big step forward for the trio. They’re about to go on tour, and I strongly recommend seeing them in action. More details here.
Hermitude – Ukiyo (Tina Says Remix)
Perth producer Tina Says is one of my favourite homegrown talents, and for very good reason. She almost keeps to herself in a way, and doesn’t get anywhere near as much recognition or traction as she deserves, but still she goes along, dropping mixes here and there to devoted fans. This Hermitude remix is yet another example of how much she’s got going on. Perfect for a sunny day or getting down in the club, she heaps a whole lot of genres and influences into the one track and cooks it up until it’s just right. Here’s hoping the rest of the country catches on soon.
Erykah Badu covers Drake – HOTLINE BLING BUT U CAINT USE MY PHONE MIX
Well, shit. Whenever Erykah Badu does anything, it’s time to prick up your ears. When she takes on what is arguably the biggest R&B track of the year, you down a few espressos and stand to complete attention. This is a ridiculously cool cover from the neo-soul legend. I’ll be honest – I prefer this to the Drizzy original. Drake should be honoured that she took it on. I’m honoured just because I get the chance to listen to it.
Kyler Slater – Black Eyes
Dark and seductive, this is kind of a halfway point behind The Weeknd and Chet Faker. Kyler Slater’s latest track is smooth and sensual, with a deep, enveloping beat and a massive bass that really gets under your skin. The overtly sexual lyrics don’t leave much up to the imagination – and pared with the intense beats, it makes for one visceral damn listening experience. Of the track, Slater says, “When you are at the edge of destruction and loss, you are inspired to write songs that, without diving too deep, can help you process emotions and move forward.
Arthur Ashin’s music is hard to put in a box. Under his Autre Ne Veut moniker, the New York native releases warped, histrionic interpretations of electro-pop R&B that can be at once devastating and life-affirming. His self-produced new album, The Age of Transparency refines the formula that garnered widespread critical acclaim on 2013’s Anxiety, mixing elements of jazz and choral music to send listeners through the full spectrum of emotion in 45 minutes. In August, we previewed the stunningly creepy video for lead single World War pt. 2 and today we were lucky enough to talk to the man himself.
Congratulations on the album! It’s streaming on NPR as of yesterday – how are you feeling about the early reaction?
The good part about early reactions is that they tend to be positive, you know, because people who want to like the record go and listen first so anything that comes to me on Twitter or Facebook is pretty positive. So that’s good!
It’s probably fair to say Anxiety was your breakout with the Pitchfork endorsement and all the ‘best of’ lists… Did the increased audience affect how you made the album this time around?
Probably to a degree. It’s hard to not think about one’s place in the world, for sure… but I did do my best to make the album I wanted to make. I probably shouldn’t have been given the access to a gospel choir and live jazz band and what not (laughs)… I should have just been forced to sit in my apartment and bang out another electronic record! But I’m really proud of it. I think going through the process of making, working and touring Anxiety made me realise how important it is to me to create work that feels super honest and articulates the ideas I want to get across.
You described making Anxiety as ‘cathartic’ for you – did The Age of Transparency represent the same kind of feeling?
Well (this time) was a more protracted process. Anxiety took about two months after the songs were written. I went in the studio for a month and a half and did the arrangements, mix and production stuff for about two weeks and that was that, like one winter. This record took over a year and a half to make so… also this time I worked more independently; there was nobody sitting around for the bulk of it. For about a year I was alone and so the catharsis was not quite as immediate.
I had to do a lot of really nitty-gritty work which is not exactly cathartic… maybe relaxing at a level on – a good day editing live drums perfectly… but it was hours and hours and hours.
You’ve said Anxiety tapped into your memories and life in the few years preceding that album – did you tap into your experiences in the same way on Transparency?
The themes (on Transparency) are a little more universal. The characters of ‘me’ and ‘you’ are less direct and I kind of played around with who the narrator and protagonist was. Throughout Transparency I’m singing from the perspective of like… I’m singing basically as a theoretical internet avatar that’s brainwashing ‘me’… who is the ‘you’. There’s more of that kind of stuff on this record; goofy literary terms… like Never Wanted is a kind of love story in Keynesian terms where Time and Love and Space are all capitalised and in my mind they’re these grandiose platonic figures… rather than being specific individuals.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_7-zOBqrDo&w=560&h=315]
I want to talk about your video for Panic Room which has you performing a cappella and failing to impress the judges. Could you imagine going on American Idol? Do you think Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell would like you?
Probably not – that was part of the idea. Early on when American Idol came out before my career I thought ‘maybe I should try the American Idol thing and get to Hollywood… that would be a good jump start to make the music thing happen’.
I think that was in the back of my mind and I stumbled across a video of a failed audition on Swedish Idol – I don’t know how it ended up on Youtube or whatever but… I don’t understand Swedish so I was guessing what the implications were… The woman goes in and starts singing her heart out and you know, she was pretty good! Not like maybe the greatest singer of all time but solid, you know? And she’s singing her heart out and at one point a judge interrupts her at this big moment in the song. (The Panic Room video) kind of paraphrases that… and in the process she and the judges look like they’re cheering up and kind of feeling it and I dunno… it was such an impactful video and I wanted to communicate how I felt. For me to tweet that video… people wouldn’t have paid attention but if I mix it into a music video people might get into it more.
On that note I’ve read you’re not all that keen on the act of performing in front of a bunch of people or even taking interviews – is that how the idea to perform the song a cappella in the video came about? This theme of transparency?
Definitely yeah. The bit that I’m not keen on… my background has more to do with spending time with music journalists. I have a massive amount of respect for what is asked of a music journalist. It’s more that I’m not super up on being the focus of attention. Which is funny because my entire project screams ‘look at me!’ It’s probably some subconscious desire to be stared at and appreciated in a very public way – otherwise I wouldn’t continue to do it.
But yeah it is a personal struggle. I just feel like it’s difficult as a musician to challenge yourself emotionally because the industry is designed to coddle you in these very particular ways – you know, your creative ideas or some dumb shit you’ve come up with is like shitting gold and any other idea around it pertaining to your career is stymied – in a way that’s the label interface with artists… where you’re kind of allowed to behave like a dumb genius or whatever so I think pushing myself to perform in that way is my avenue to grow personally… by pushing myself into situations I’m not comfortable with and can become a stronger better person without being coddled.
I saw you at Laneway in 2014 and I was surprised how aggressive you were as a performer… I didn’t expect you to be that out there. What do you try and evoke from your audience on stage?
I think it’s more selfish than that honestly. It’s like the great release for me. I think it’s an approach through which I tend to overcome my pretty serious stage fright! If I don’t kind of turn on ‘animal mode’ it’s hard for me to lose myself all the way… it’s like Nicki Minaj’s ‘growl mode’. My friends are like, ‘Nicki is a great rapper but she keeps doing that weird theatrical growl thing’. My feeling about that is that it’s easier for her to do that because it allows her to be one step removed from herself in a way. It’s also probably a cultural function in that my early shows were just me and my microphone performing in a Brooklyn basement. The way I think of live performance is… how do you as a vocalist match the intensity of someone cranking up their mixer super loud?
I want to ask about the new album’s tracklisting particularly the transition from the song Over Now – a very viscerally sad ballad – into Get Out, which literally starts with this incredibly uplifting gospel choir – what is the thinking behind that?
I think in a way Over Now is the last song on the record. And it feels like a downer. I try to create a ride for the listener – a ride they didn’t have as much control over as they might have wanted – so it felt like Get Out had to bring it all home – the way it’s super uplifting but it closes out with this almost funereal gospel vocalists. The record is an attempt to express the full range of human emotion in a 45-minute period. It’s also a good bookend to the first track On and On (Reprise) – like a more palpable version of that.
I’m sure you wouldn’t disagree a lot of your music definitely is pretty sultry and makes for good sex jams. How does it make you feel to think people are having a good time to your music somewhere right now?
Yeah it’s funny you know, I don’t ever think about that (laughs).
Maybe you should.
Yeah maybe I should sit around and think about it. That’s what I’ll do tonight. I don’t know if you saw Amelie? You know when she’s imagining how many people are orgasming at any single moment in time in Paris? That’ll be my closing image of this interview. People orgasming to my music. Like super narcissistic and dark (laughs).
You came to our shores with Laneway Festival last year. Before you came you said you were told to expect some kind of ‘weird hipster circus’. What was your experience of Australia like?
Laneway was absolutely a hipster circus. I had the best time and I’m pretty road-shy so that’s a true compliment. It was run so well and I never felt harried or stressed about anything. It’s my perfect idea of how a touring cycle should run and if the Laneway organisers are listening I would love to come back.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaLK3XJfVjk&w=560&h=315]
You can get your physical mits on The Age of Transparency on October 2 through Downtown Records.
Autre Ne Veut is an enigmatic, strange and wonderful artist. I don’t remember exactly how I got into him, but I was blown away by his brilliant 2013 album Anxiety – and more so when I caught him live at his Laneway sideshow in Sydney. He was one of the first artists within the electro-pop genre that really got under my skin, and I can safely say that that has not changed.
It’s been a long wait for new music from the New York-based artist, real name Arthur Ashin. In recent weeks we’ve seen him dropping hints, images and cryptic clues throughout his social media accounts. but finally, new single World War Pt. 2 is here.
Even without the disturbing video clip, World War pt. 2 is unnerving at best, in a way so unique to the electrifying musician. In the words of video director BANGS (Allie Avital), the track – and video – aimed to create “a metaphor for the many burdens we carry with us.”
The clip depicts Autre Ne Veut in a large, mostly bare house. Naked (or so we assume), a fairly horrifying, similarly naked, half-man half-Gollum clings to him, nails digging into his flesh, with a frightfully hollow look in it’s eyes. It’s visceral to the point of upsetting – it’s certainly going to make some people uncomfortable.
The song itself is, of course, beautiful. A continuation of the unique style that Autre Ne Veut has shaped for himself, it’s heartfelt, passionate, and structurally beautiful.
The track will feature on the highly anticipated new album, The Age of Transparency, due out October 2, 2015. It was one of the most passionate live shows I’ve seen, so fingers crossed that another tour is on the cards.
Speaking about the album title, Ashin says, “The title comes from marketing jargon. It’s a term for the place we’re in now, where truth and transparency are just ways to sell things and honesty is its own kind of performance.
“Transparency is an impossibility,” he continues. “It’s more about trying to be transparent and falling on your face in the process.”
For more information, visit the official The Age of Transparency website.
Age of Transparency track list:
1. On and On (Reprise)
2. Panic Room
3. Cold Winds
4. Age of Transparency
5. Switch Hitter
6. Never Wanted
7. Word War Pt. 2
8. Over Now
9. Get Out
