PC Music (Record Label)
Overview
PC Music is a record label that produces hyper-pop music and juxtaposes sweet, bubblegum and nihilistic, hedonist artists.
PC Music Vol. 1
This is not an album, but a compilation of tracks from various artists working under the PC Music Label (of which i have written about previously). This compilation was released in 2015, but i’m reviewing it in 2019.
PC Music, Vol. 1. Here’s the cast.
Hannah Diamond: one of the most iconic within PC Music’s roster (perhaps after SOPHIE). An average lyricist, but a clever choice of textures, and perhaps more importantly, a conscious use of thereof.
A.G. Cook and Danny L. Harle: PC Music’s DJs, each displaying their own: Cook with his pointless (but still fun) buildup towards a virtually non-existent chorus, and Danny L. Harle with his choice dissonant chord progressions.
GFOTY: the very personification of late capitalism hedonism.
Thy Slaughter and EASYFUN: the lesser known acts in the compilation, each with their respective catchy song.
Lipgloss Twins: the pleasant surprise in this album. They take their synth-y experiment many places and none at the same time (i mean, they explore different musical perspectives, but settle on none).
Here’s a track-by-track, ordered review.
Every Night (Hannah Diamond)
An easy-going track, with a really catchy chorus and naive, silly lyrics. Could have been written by a 16 year old.
Dance music from PC Music. Cook shows off his pointless buildups (listen to the bridge and then the chorus of the song, and tell me if there’s a difference).
Beautiful (A.G. Cook)
Perhaps the most accessible single in this compilation. Cook’s presumable hatred towards hooks and choruses really shows, as there song in itself has really few Still, a great, dance-able tune.
USA (GFOTY)
One of the most creative under PC Music. Glitchy yet catchy, USA shows GFOTY in her element, as she meshes pitched vocals with bordeline annoying synth. Nice.
In My Dreams (Danny L. Harle)
Bit of filler, bit of decent, marine, Grimes-like vocals.
Attachment (Hannah Diamond)
The ballad of the album. Few textures, but much substance. A personal favorite.
Bronze (Thy Slaughter)
The hook is alright, and the vocals are too QT-like to ignore, and they get kind of boring after a while. Meh.
Keri Baby (A.G. Cook & Hannah Diamond)
K-pop / J-pop á’la PC Music. Diamond’s distorted vocals and Cook’s wobbly synths work together to build a catchy and sloppy song. Another personal favorite.
Don’t Wanna / Let’s Do It (GFOTY)
Features GFOTY’s characteristic play of vocal overtones and “arpeggios”, and a decent bassline. A tad repetitive, but it’s ok considering it’s less than two minutes in length.
Laplander (EASYFUN)
A strange note under which the album closes. Apparently the whole label only has one singer, because the vocals are really similar. The end of the song is great, nevertheless, as EASYFUN closes this compilation with a staccato.
There’s a very clear set of traits that any PC Music act must posses: mild (or perhaps even hypocrite) hedonism, an insane obsession with synths and the manipulation of thereof, an appreciation of K-Pop, etc. Each act in this compilation is succinct (that’s why it’s 29 mins long). Each artists synthetizes their characteristic traits (A.G. Cook’s anti-choruses, GFOTY’s absurd use of vocals, etc.)
Decent compilation from PC Music. I expect further experimentation in their next efforts.