I’m actually very hypocritical- I remember telling people not so long ago that everything that came out of a keyboard or computer was the product of the devil, and here I am, listening to this guy, Nicolas Jaar (the title probably makes sense now) Anyway, there is some genuinely good electronic I’ve collected over the past couple of weeks, and this is by far the best I’ve stumbled upon so far. Also now I have a bitching new keyboard (the one in the picture, in fact!) and new scope of making compositions so electronic music doesn’t seem that unholy anymore.
Nicolas Jaar is a student at Brown University whose basically put a lot of thought into his new record, Space Is Only Noise. Pretentious title aside, the songs are peculiar but extremely interesting. The instrumentation is fairly minimal, in spite of the fact that it’s electronic- with low BPM’s and simple beats- but the sounds that are created on this album are still rich and exciting.
Everything from baritonal, creepy voices to distant french ramblings and romantic conversations are layered over a wide variety of instruments- pianos, guitars and even horns occasionally (Try “Keep Me There”, really catchy). At the same time, distinctly electronic components are visible- deep bass, tight beats and even the slightly cliched clapper things. But what stands out the most is Jaar’s unconventional usage of two things- silence and various, random noises. Much of the songs make use of very distant, muffled noises as well as plain old silence to their advantage, especially in their transitions and beginnings. Furthermore, the songs themselves are not very loud at all- and as a result Jaar’s product is frighteningly moving at times. What he seems to have mastered even more is the use of noise- there’s a lot of rain-esque sounds in many songs, such as “Etre” and “Almost Fell”, which also use disjointed beats without tempo to make the songs not really songs, but more like a collection of different samples that Jaar has taken from different sources to make his sound more realistic and hard-hitting. Parts of the record such as “Etre”s flowing rivers and secretive discussions really help in creating an intimate connection between Jaar’s music and it’s listeners.
That being said, his work is very much electronic in a general sense. There’s some soul influences throughout- in “Specters of the Future”, with it’s crooning and effects-laden piano riff, and his ambitious remix of Ray Charles’ “I Got A Woman”. There’s some vocoders and drum machines thrown in as well- check “Space Is Only Noise If You Can See”, the amazing title track.
There’s a lot to take in on this record- it’s Jaar’s creative mind at work, masterfully making you tremble, daydream, snap your fingers, and maybe even sing along and dance. His exploratory usage of noise, silence and speech along with familiar electronic sounds demonstrate how he’s really taken the meaning of making a record to an entirely new level. Space Is Only Noise is not just an album, it’s a work of art.
