Where bought? This is going to sound odd but this was kind of an experimental purchase: Ariel had been, for want of a better word, cancelled and his label had dropped him before this album was due out. Some fans were reporting that their pre-orders hadn't turned up, but I had wagered on a forum that these records had been pressed ages ago and were sitting in a warehouse awaiting distribution. I ordered it via the Ariel Pink website and it showed up a week later with two Mexican Summer (the label that had dropped him) stickers. I win!
OK so there are other reasons to buy this. Namely that I was keen to see what Rosenberg had been up to since ditching lo-fi production in 2004 and serving up Mature Themes in 2012, his first album of mostly new songs.
Sit 'N Spin provides the answer: playing in an ensemble with other human beings. Outside of Haunted Graffiti this was also true: Pink released an album with Matt Fishbeck as Holy Shit, played in a group called Athief, and released a collab record with the avant-jazz crew Added Pizzaz. None of these releases are essential, but they are evocative of a career developed with the cart before the horse - learning to rock out in a band usually comes before becoming a production master.
It's the least essential AP record I own (I wish I'd bought Odditties Sodomies 2 as I've been caning that one on Spotify) but I think it has justified purchase at new prices by the insights combined with the enjoyment provided.
Some of these tracks (probably all if you're a hardcore Arielhead) have emerged elsewhere before: there are rawer readings of 'Can't Hear My Eyes' and 'Evolution's a Lie' that show up on Before Today, while 'Revenge of the Iceman' appeared as a track on a bonus EP that came with Dedicated to Bobby Jameson.
There are essentially three kinds of tracks here: sophisticated poppers, rock that owes a debt to a lairy version of the 70s (three tracks could be called 'hard rock'), and brief miniatures that throw out an idea and almost retract it with uncertainty. Much of the music, particularly on Side B, feels more instinctive rather than pored over. I find it quite refreshing; we're hearing him learn a new mode of expression.
In time I might consider my relationship with this one: there's so much AP in my collection, three of which are double LPs, that I might not reach for this one as often. That said, I'm happy with it now.
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