Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti
Round and Round (4AD)
Ariel Pink has created something of a whirlwind of excitement on the underground music scene, with single ‘Round and Round’. The song itself has an indie feel to it with echoey vocals and quite minimal guitar riffs dispersed between repetitive overlapping lyrics, creating the impression of some kind of trippy merry-go-round. The feel of the song changes when a telephone rings midway through, introducing a livelier, and lyrically stronger continuation of the song. The vocals are louder and more emphasised, yet still playing the repetitive roundabout background lyrics.
The second song on the single, ‘Mistaken Wedding’, fails to enthral like ‘Round and Round’, and nothing particularly stands out. The lyrics have that same echoey feel which creates a sense of atmosphere but instrumentally I’d say this song is a bit bland.
Hannah Roger
